The Stockton City Council has taken the next step in revitalizing one of the city’s premiere outdoor dining and shopping corridors: the Miracle Mile.
The council on Tuesday unanimously approved $2.2 million for local firm Siegfried Engineering to conduct design work on the revamped corridor. Siegfried, whose corporate office is in Stockton, was chosen from seven companies that competed for the job.
The design work is expected to be finished in fall 2026, said Chad Reed, the city’s public works director.
The Miracle Mile, stretching along Pacific Avenue from Alpine Avenue to Harding Way, dates back to the early 1920s. It takes its name from a similar stretch in Los Angeles, which established a grand boulevard intended to draw strollers and diners from across the city.
Over the years, Stockton’s Miracle Mile has endured a raft of changes — from malls in the 1970s to outdoor-oriented “marketplaces” and big-box stores in the 1990s to most recently, the home-delivery revolution.
And while other urban shopping districts across the country have become ghost towns, the Miracle Mile has survived.
With active retailers and fun events like car shows, Stockton’s Miracle Mile is hardly in need of a miracle fix. But city officials felt the destination deserved to be spruced up.
“Miracle Mile is truly the economic engine of the district, and dare I say, Stockton,” said Councilmember Mario Enríquez, whose District 4 includes the strip.
To get the project started, the California Legislature in 2022 authorized $20 million for pedestrian crossing upgrades, public safety improvements and revitalization of the strip. That amount is expected to cover the first phase of the project, but Reed said it’s unclear what the long-term total cost will be.
For now, the focus is on making it happen.
Using a 274-page working-group report, Siegfried is expected to hold a series of public meetings to hear comments on the project while additional grants are sought, Reed said. The goal is renovate the area to bring in more shoppers and diners while also making it more appealing and safer for pedestrians.
The report, for instance, calls for more prominent crosswalks and “traffic calming” measures, better parking, lighting, landscaping and signage — all in keeping with the avenue’s historic character.
“It’s a long-term project, but the fact that we’re already getting the foundation set is a big deal,” Enríquez said.