With its many service-oriented businesses, residential spaces, retail establishments and restaurants, downtown Monroe is a complicated area with unique characteristics. If a person knows where to look, they can still find the metal loops affixed to the concrete that were once used when citizens needed to secure their horses while shopping.
Currently, Monroe's downtown area is in a state of flux. Due to the Main Street Plaza Project, which has been ongoing throughout the summer, parts of East and West Main streets have acquired a fresh, new look.
In an attempt to create a more pedestrian-friendly, walkable environment, the construction project has resulted in wider sidewalks, a new parking arrangement and shorter pedestrian crossing areas. The vertical curbs were removed during the construction process, in order to create a more contiguous space to better facilitate festivals, street fairs and other events.
Safety features, including hand-held pedestrian flags, have been installed in several locations.
But residents and downtown business owners are concerned over the number of empty storefronts, old signage that is no longer relevant, and the amount of garbage often discarded in the public areas. So the Monroe City Council has taken steps to encourage downtown revitalization by establishing Main Street rejuvenation as a key area of emphasis in the city's updated Comprehensive Plan and waiving permit fees for downtown businesses.
Although permits are still required, the city has chosen to waive all permit fees until June 14, 2016, in the downtown planning area. City staff published a notification encouraging investment projects such as new awnings, signage upgrades, building fa+ºade restoration, enhanced lighting, interior improvements and outdoor dining areas.
While he feels that these are steps in the right direction, Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas is hoping that more can be done. Earlier this year while visiting Olympia with City Administrator Gene Brazel, Thomas met with the coordinator of the state's official Main Street Program. Managed through the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, the Main Street Program uses a multi-pronged approach to incrementally revitalize historic downtown areas around the state.
The program, which has been successfully deployed in cities like Moses Lake, Chelan, Port Townsend and Walla Walla, requires the formation of a nonprofit agency to serve as a mechanism for program implementation. In the past, Monroe's Downtown Revitalization and Enhancement Association of Monroe (DREAM) organization fulfilled this role, until its dissolution in early 2014.
Mayor Thomas is hoping to resurrect the concept, and is working to facilitate the establishment of a downtown organization that can pick up where DREAM left off. Not directly affiliated with the city government, the organization would zero in on the downtown, in hopes of filling empty buildings and encouraging downtown growth, while maintaining its historic elements.
Earlier this summer the Monroe City Council agreed to a 2015 budget amendment which would allocate $25,000 to help start a new Main Street program. If there was enough sustained interest, Thomas would consider making a recommendation for the 2016 budget to dedicate additional funds to the program. At that point, it would be up to the Monroe City Council to accept his recommendation or take other action.
"I would bring that to council as part of a recommendation for the 2016 budget,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "Council then would discuss whether that meets their priorities.GÇ¥
The goal, said Thomas, would be for the organization to become self-sustaining by 2017.
The Main Street Program association would be made up of an executive director and a five to nine-member board. Once registered as a nonprofit agency, the organization could pursue funding in a multitude of ways, including merchandise, fundraising events, sponsorships, grants and many others. Through the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program, large organizations like Fred Meyer and Walmart could receive a 75 percent tax credit for donating to the downtown revitalization organization.
Thomas hopes to locate a community-based group of individuals interested in taking ownership of the project. An ideal group, said Thomas, might include members of the Monroe community interested in promoting the downtown, downtown business owners, residents and building owners.
"It's something that would be there to benefit them and certainly would have positive benefits across the entire community, which is why it makes sense for us to have some seed money to help get this started,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "But I also don't want to be in the role of pushing another organization on people in the downtown, when maybe it's something that they don't have ownership in.GÇ¥
Mayor Thomas is hoping to gauge the level of community interest in upcoming weeks as he begins to put together the 2016 budget.
"For me to place some priority on it, I would like to hear from folks as to whether they think this is a good idea,GÇ¥ Thomas said.
Individuals interested in participating in an organization directly related to revitalizing the downtown Monroe area should submit their interest to Mayor Thomas in writing. Thomas can be reached at: GThomas@monroewa.gov. For more information about the program, please visit: http://www.dahp.wa.gov/programs/mainstreet-program.Many volunteers, such as the members of the Monroe Garden Club who grow and donate flowers to the downtown planters each year, work with the city to beautify MonroeGÇÖs downtown. Now the mayor is seeking volunteers to help reform a group devoted to revitalizing the historic shopping district. (Photo by Chris Hendrickson)
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment