Downtown Monroe proving worthy asset

From the Main Street Plaza Project to a variety of new businesses, Monroe’s downtown core is gradually starting to come alive. Based on growth projections and the ever-changing trajectory of consumer needs, Monroe Community Development Director Dave Osaki thinks it could be poised for much more.

It’s an encouraging message for organizations like the Downtown Monroe Association, which hosted Osaki during its monthly community meeting on Monday, Dec. 19, at the Monroe Library. Formed in August 2015, the DMA has been working to improve the economic viability of Monroe’s downtown core through a structured approach managed by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Dec. 19 meeting provided guests with information about opportunities for economic development in Monroe’s downtown area. 

Osaki outlined the difference between the community development and public works departments, as residents are sometimes not clear as to the purpose of each. In very general terms, public works deals with public facilities, including streets, public water lines, sewer and the like. The community development department deals with land-use matters primarily occurring on private property. 

The scope of the department encompasses four key areas; land-use permitting, building permitting, code enforcement and economic development.

The community development department is very interested in furthering a robust and diverse economic framework that benefits the entire city. Osaki said the goal with economic development is to facilitate entrepreneurial success by allowing prospective business owners to take risks in the pursuit of a sustainable business model.

“If someone is going to fail, we don’t want them to fail because of something the city did,” Osaki said.

Before opening discussion on city efforts to help support a thriving downtown, Osaki talked about the ways communities have changed over the years. Hired by the city of Monroe last March, Osaki has more than 30 years of professional experience in community and economic development. He’s worked in the public sector for cities like Auburn and Lynnwood, and prior to coming to Monroe was the community development director for the city of Fife. 

“Right now, I would say, is a good time for downtown,” Osaki said. “I think you have a tailwind behind you for a couple reasons.”

After more than 10 years, the retail environment has completely changed, Osaki said. A decade ago, stores like Walmart seemed impenetrable, and shopping malls were the order of the day. Over the years, stores like Walmart and Macy’s have started to dwindle and even close their doors, Osaki said, as consumers turn to online shopping at a steadily increasing rate.

“It’s just so easy now,” Osaki said. “If you’re looking for merchandise, you just go online and you get it.”

Osaki said historic downtown shopping districts have viability and merit, because they offer more than just a place to pick up an item or two. The changing landscape of the retail world could bode quite well for communities able to provide something extra through downtown preservation and enhancement.

“I think what the public is going to look for, is a place to go shopping where there’s an experience. It’s more than just merchandise — it’s an experience,” Osaki said. “And I think downtowns have the opportunity to provide that experience.”

Since the completion of the downtown Monroe sidewalk project and adoption of Monroe’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan update, there has been a renewed focus in downtown development, including a downtown-specific goal in the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan update process was extensive, as the Monroe Planning Commission combed through the document seemingly sentence by sentence. Joint meetings were held with the Monroe City Council to finesse the language and formalize the city’s vision for its future. 

Osaki said Monroe’s plan stands out from other plans he’s viewed, because it offers a few very specific, strategic goal statements, one of which relates directly to downtown Monroe. That goal is to “establish downtown as a thriving commercial, civic and residential area.”

Economic development strategies in the plan also refer directly to the downtown region. Osaki said both are clear indicators of city support and can be leveraged to generate more support in the form of grant opportunities to help promote tourism and build a bustling retail district. 

The city has implemented several programs to incentivize business improvements in the downtown area. The first is a downtown fee waiver program, which is currently in effect until June 17. Passed by the Monroe City Council in 2015, the program waives fees for things like façade restoration, outdoor dining areas, signage upgrades, accessibility improvements, exterior illuminations, new awnings and interior enhancements.

“It doesn’t mean the permit is waived. You’ve still got to get the permit,” Osaki said. “But the fees for certain types of permits in the downtown are waived.”

There is also a free sidewalk use permit opportunity, for restaurants and cafés that want to establish outdoor seating. The Main Street Café is a great example of a downtown business that has capitalized on the sidewalk use permit program, Osaki said, with an attractive outdoor seating area. It’s absolutely changed the look and feel on that side of the street and has been very successful, he said.

The overall goal is to continue transforming downtown by adding features that establish it as a unique destination. Another thing the city has done is fund a public art project, which will be installed in early January. Slated for the northwest corner of Lewis and Main streets, the sculpture celebrates Vaux’s swifts, migratory birds that return to Monroe every year to roost.

Earlier this year, Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas announced the Vaux’s swift as the official city bird, a rare attribute not found in other places.

Other support by the city has includes a $25,000 investment, which was awarded to a consulting firm to craft a downtown revitalization strategy. And recently, the Monroe City Council approved a $25,000 budget placeholder to support DMA efforts in 2017. Osaki said the money will be earmarked for specific activities and provided to the DMA based on criteria outlined in a formal agreement between the DMA and the city.

There are also mini-grants available through the city to help fund road closures during community events. Any time an event, such as a car show or street fair, requires a road closure, the event organizer must pay for the staff time and labor required to close the road. The mini-grant program helps reduce that cost for the sponsoring agency. 

Osaki said it all adds up to promise for the downtown area.

“I think the city has stepped up to do a lot,” he said.

For more information about the DMA, visit facebook.com/groups/DTMonroeWa/. For more information about community development opportunities and programs, visit monroewa.gov/index.aspx?NID=87.