Locals know the alley behind the businesses on 12th Street in downtown Paso Robles as "Norma's Alley."
Norma Moye has been a central part of Paso Robles for nine decades, and a founder of the Paso Robles Downtown Main Street Association.
She's still serving as its executive director, putting together the annual lighting ceremony, the Christmas light parade, as well as the upcoming Vine Street Victorian showcase and Victorian Teddy Bear Affair.
Now, an official name change could be coming with a city Planning Commission vote scheduled Tuesday.
Arch inspired by deep roots
Moye's roots in the city run deep.
“[Paso Robles is] my love," Moye said. "My family had stores here. My great-uncle Charlie was the first fire chief, my great-grandfather created the Ronconie Wells, which they're still using, so we have lots of water. My mom and dad ran a restaurant and bar on 12th Street.”
Moye's family roots and dedication to the city inspired the building of an arch named after her on the east end of the alley behind 12th Street. It was done by local artist, Dale Evers, two years ago.
“I knew they were putting an arch, but then I looked and thought, 'Oh, my goodness,' my name is on that arch," Moye recalled. "What an honor. I mean, wow, I was blown away.”
The alley is still officially unnamed, and for the businesses behind 12th Street, this is a bit problematic.
“There are some wonderful businesses, tasting rooms, restaurants in the alley," City of Paso Robles Economic Development Manager Paul Sloan said. "But their addresses are on 12th Street."
This has stirred confusion amongst tourists and visitors to Paso Robles' downtown.
"There's [also] a potential challenge with the emergency services because if a 911 call comes in, potentially we could see a situation where it would be out on 12th Street looking for an incident when it's actually back in the alley," Sloan explained.
According to Sloan, those businesses are in favor of the address change, and the city has a right to honor someone who is a part of what makes Paso Robles the city it is.
“You see people enjoying the downtown and they come from wherever they come from and they're just amazed that little towns like this still exist," Sloan said. "Her whole life has been dedicated to that.”
Moye says she's humbled either way the vote swings.
“It's a great honor," the 91-year-old said. "I mean, it made it worth doing all the work these years.”
If approved, the name change will be made official within 15 days. Businesses, emergency services, as well as the post office will be notified of the address change.
Businesses would need to manually update their addresses on Google, Yelp, and other location-based services.
