Looking to capitalize on Cal State Northridge and its new $125 million Performing Arts Center, a group of Northridge residents and businesses are looking to develop a “university village” concept that would give the community a more distinct character and greater appeal to regional shoppers.

The Northridge Vision 2012 project envisions remaking the San Fernando Valley neighborhood into a more pedestrian-friendly area similar to Westwood Village while setting out a strategy to improve neighboring residential and commercial areas.

One proposal is moving the existing Metrolink station a block to the east to Reseda Boulevard and Parthenia Street to bring customers without cars closer to the commercial area; another idea is to make changes to local streets that would encourage motorists to slow down and stop at local businesses.

Robert Scott, director of the Mulholland Institute and a former president of the city Planning Commission, said the goal is to make Northridge a unique and identifiable stop in the Valley.

“It seems like a missed opportunity to not take advantage of the university and the Performing Arts Center,” Scott said. “We would like to take advantage of the resources we have and the uniqueness of what is available here.

The $125 million Performing Arts Center, which seats 1,700, opened in January 2011 and has drawn national acts such as Kenny Rogers, Judy Collins and Bernadette Peters. It is located at the south end of the campus about half a mile from Reseda Boulevard.

Too often, Scott said, it is difficult to differentiate one Valley community from another.

“We want it so when people are driving down Reseda Boulevard they will know when they reach Northridge,” Scott said.

“What does it mean to go to Reseda or to go to Sylmar? Most people can’t tell you what makes their area special. We would like to see this concept used by other communities in the Valley.”

A similar effort was undertaken by Tarzana businesses and residents in 1998 when they decided to create the Tarzana Safari Walk, a stretch of Ventura Boulevard with features designed to make it more friendly to foot traffic, including more shade trees, pocket parks and a Tarzan theme to remind visitors of the area’s historic connections to author Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The Northridge vision project was done in collaboration with neighborhood councils in the area, CSUN, the Valley Economic Alliance and various city officials.

Councilman Mitch Englander, who represents the area and supports the plan, said it represents an “historic and unprecedented level of cooperation” between the city, neighborhood councils, business owners, CSUN and others.

“The Northridge Vision Committee has initiated several proactive grass-roots campaigns, harnessing the power of volunteers and instilling a new vigor for civic engagement in the community resulting in a visual rebranding of Reseda Boulevard,” Englander said.

Scott said the hope is to have the main concepts of the plan included when the city updates the official Northridge Community Plan, which city planning director Michael LoGrande said would happen when the city can obtain funding for it.

LoGrande praised the recommendations as a “thoughtful, community-based vision for revitalizing Reseda Boulevard and providing better connections to the Cal State Northridge campus, including the new Valley Performing Arts Center.

“This work will provide an excellent starting point for our department when we are able to secure funding and staffing to launch the revision of the city’s Northridge Community Plan,” LoGrande said.

In using CSUN as a hub, Northridge Vision also recommends that the community be divided into areas such as University Village, Old Historic Northridge and a Healthy Living Neighborhood built around Northridge Hospital Medical Center and Uptown Northridge.

The University Village area would feature pedestrian-friendly areas from Reseda Boulevard to the entrance of CSUN.

“The area presents an obvious choice for a mixed-use pedestrian and transit oriented district, using Nordhoff Street and Reseda Boulevard as a gateway providing dining and open spaces within a short walk of the Valley Performing Arts Center,” the Northridge Vision report states.

Historic Old Town, at Parthenia and Reseda, could be a mixed-use area with housing and local amenities and could become a transportation center if the Metrolink station is moved there.

Healthy Living Campus near the Northridge Hospital Medical Center would serve as a medical, health care and professional business center in the area of Roscoe and Reseda Boulevards.

Uptown Northridge would have lower density uses, including some multiple family housing and commercial uses.

Scott acknowledged the changes envisioned will take some time to become reality.

“This is not something that happens overnight,” Scott said. “We started to work on this in 2001 and we are now looking to see what can be done in five, 10 and 20 years.

“We are asking the people who live here now what they would like to see in 20 years and what we can develop to accommodate their needs.”