This SLO County city hopes to be picked for a hometown makeover on HGTV
When Zoe Zappas looks at Atascadero, she sees endless potential — and she hopes HGTV does, too.
Zappas — a marketing and project manager for development firm Z Villages — recently decided to enter the North County city in a competition to appear on “Home Town Takeover,” a six-episode HGTV show that will make over a small city in 2021.
The series will be a spin-off of another show, “Home Town,” which features a couple that renovates historic houses in Laurel, Mississippi.
“Home Town Takeover” is looking for cities with a population of 40,000 people or less that contain “vintage period architecture, special destinations or a classic main street,” according to the show’s website.
Zappas heard about the show during a meeting of the Atascadero Downtown Business Improvement District and initially thought applying would be too great an undertaking.
“I had kind of written it off as something too big we could apply for,” she said.
But when Zappas noticed the city size the show is looking for, she changed her mind and brought the concept to Matthew Covington and Bryan McLain of Several Guys video production.
“I presented it like, ‘We have the opportunity to get on the radar for help,’” Zappas said.
The group made a video showcasing downtown Atascadero’s gems, including City Hall, recently painted murals, El Camino Real and the Printery.
Zappas draws attention to landmarks while also pointing out vacant storefronts, boarded-up buildings and historic structures in need of a revamp.
“We are perfectly nestled in the middle of wine country here on the Central Coast, and we’re 15 minutes from the beach,” Zappas says in the video. “We’ve got the most potential. HGTV, you’re our only hope. Please help us.”
Due to the optimism generated by the city’s recent redevelopment efforts, creating the video “was so effortless and easy,” Zappas said.
If Atascadero were to win a spot on the show, Zappas’ greatest hope would be to draw attention and money to the Printery’s renovation efforts.
“I think elevating the platform to be kind of a national discussion can only help our fundraising efforts,” she said.
Whether Atascadero appears on “Home Town Takeover” or not, Zappas hopes to energize community conversations about the city, which isn’t always presented in the best light next to its San Luis Obispo County neighbors.
“It was kind of the official, ‘We’re done being the butt of the joke,’” she said.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 5:15 AM.
