City gives downtown Monroe a boost

The city of Monroe has hired BDS Planning & Urban Design to support the Downtown Monroe Association's vision of revitalizing Monroe's downtown core.

The Seattle consulting firm visited Monroe City Hall on Tuesday, May 3, for an orientation and brainstorming session, which was followed by a tour of the downtown area.

The meeting was attended by Dianne Forth, Jackie Kiter, Teresa Willard and Erin Angus-Snapka from the DMA, Yvonne Gallardo-Van Ornam and Shelley Nyhammer from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas, Planning Commissioner Steve Jensen, business owner and downtown building manager Patti Gibbons and Parks Board member Steve Whalen.

BDS Principal Brian Scott, a community development specialist with more 30 years of experience in urban design, downtown revitalization and public engagement, ran the kickoff meeting.

"My story is that I'm in my 37th year of a passionate mission to help make downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts better places, because I think it makes for better communities,GÇ¥ Scott said.

His resume includes 17 years with Oregon nonprofit Oregon Downtown Development Association, an agency dedicated to revitalizing downtown areas in smaller cities. He has tackled an extensive list of projects around Oregon and Washington, receiving numerous awards and honors throughout his career.

He founded BDS in 2009.

According to Scott, there are a number of key elements necessary to drive a successful downtown revitalization effort, including economic fundamentals, sustained marketing and promotions and design and development principles, all of which are vitally bound together by a core of strong leadership and consistent management.

Another key ingredient is consistency.

Marketing and promotion needs to take place consistently over time, so community members and stakeholders are aware of events, progress and ways to help. The effort needs to incorporate a long-term trajectory, as there is no quick fix.-á

"It's having a common agenda, staying focused and doing it over time. Because whatever's wrong with your downtown didn't get wrong in a few months; it isn't going to get fixed in a few months either,GÇ¥ Scott said. "It's really a sustained effort.GÇ¥

The city issued a directive that BDS efforts should not duplicate work previously completed in Monroe's Downtown Master Plan, but instead focus on implementation actions needed to ensure the success of a Main Street organization, which is currently the Downtown Monroe Association (DMA). The DMA is already working toward downtown revitalization using established Washington State Main Street program strategies.

BDS strategies for successful commercial districts are in alignment with the Main Street Program's four-point approach, which includes organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring.

BDS project goals include creating a two- to five-year Downtown Main Street Strategic Plan, identifying funding sources and other ways to create a sustainable organization and helping to establish leadership and focus. They will also build guiding directions for downtown identity, programs and events, urban design and physical improvements and business retention and recruitment.

The next step is to launch a steering committee made up of property owners, business owners, residents and other stakeholders to help lead the project. One of the goals of last week's meeting was to identity those with a vested interest in the downtown Monroe area, so Scott can work with them to form the committee.-á

"It's very important, in my experience, to involve major stakeholders early,GÇ¥ he said.

It is anticipated that the steering committee will have around four meetings and also break up into smaller focus groups in order to hone in on different aspects of the project. Additionally, BDS will implement an online survey for property and business owners, so stakeholders unable to attend meetings can still provide feedback.

"You have to have a comprehensive approach,GÇ¥ Scott said. "You won't revitalize the downtown just by having really good events, you won't do it just by fixing up some buildings and planting some street trees, you won't do it just by recruiting a couple of new businesses or a big investment. You have to do all that stuff.GÇ¥

Volunteers will be critical, he said, but a paid staffer is also a key element of a successful Main Street effort. Washington's Main Street Program requires agencies hire paid staff, in order to achieve continued eligibility in the program. The DMA has anticipated from its initiation that it would eventually hire an executive director to increase its viability and available funding sources.

When asked how he might handle those in the community not ready to change, Scott spoke from previous experiences.-á -á

"I think the trick to changing a place is to work with the folks that want to make change and are motivated to do that, and not get too fixated on the folks who don't want anything to change or don't want to do anything,GÇ¥ Scott said.

The group spent about an hour working to identify Monroe's strengths, challenges and opportunities. Downtown challenges included lack of parking, too many service-oriented businesses, no public restroom and poor perception. Its strengths included historic significance, newly completed sidewalk improvements, adjacent community assets such as Al Borlin Park, historic buildings and a supportive mayor and city council.

The city council has crafted policies to help bring new businesses into the downtown, including a permit fee-waiver program that took effect last year. The policy was set to expire in June, but the council recently discussed extending-áthe program for another year.

The idea to hire a consultant to help comprehensively launch a Main Street organization has been in the works for many months. Last year, shortly after the formation of the DMA, the Monroe City Council allocated $25,000 in the 2016 budget for consulting services related to downtown revitalization. The city issued its Request for Proposals earlier this year, receiving responses from two firms. The council accepted staff's recommendation to move forward with BDS on April 5.

The work is expected to last up to 24 weeks. The Downtown Main Street Strategic Plan is expected to be presented to the Monroe City Council near the end of summer.