Working more directly with downtown business owners and creating a citizen task force to provide input on the city’s budget were among several ideas shared Saturday during the second and final day of the Olympia City Council’s retreat.
Saturday’s retreat, held downtown in the LOTT board room, began with the seven-person council – Mayor Stephen Buxbaum, Steve Langer, Jeannine Roe, Jim Cooper, Nathaniel Jones, Julie Hankins and Karen Rogers – and City Manager Steve Hall breaking into pairs and groups to brainstorm goals and then strategies to reach those goals.
High on their wish list is improving downtown’s vitality, including making it a friendlier place, as well as making sure the city’s budget is secure and sustainable.
Downtown is well-known for several popular retailers, such as Archibald Sisters, Wind Up Here and The Bread Peddler. However, its reputation has been tarnished in recent years by gatherings of homeless people and street youths on sections of east Fourth Avenue, as well as buildings that have sat vacant for years.
As for the budget, the city is expected to face about a $1.7 million hole beginning in 2013.
During the budget discussion, Rogers and Cooper suggested creating a citizen task force, with Cooper adding that the task force might act as an advisory body to the city manager.
Meanwhile, in addition to the Olympia Downtown Association and the Parking and Business Improvement Area board, Rogers suggested the city work more directly with downtown business owners.
“They have individual needs and situations that those organizations might not be capturing,” she said.
Roe picked up where Rogers left off, encouraging the city council members to tour downtown with city staffers, such as Community Planning and Development Director Keith Stahley or downtown code-enforcement officer Ruthie Snyder.
“You get such one-on-one input,” she said about the tour.
In addition to long-term strategies for downtown, Roe suggested that short-term strategies also be discussed because she has received some recent emails from “desperate” downtown business owners.
Other ideas for downtown:
Encourage development: Cooper suggested a wide range for “incentivizing development,” such as “you can’t build anywhere but here” and “we’re going to make it more economically viable to develop here.”
More public information: Roe said she’d like to see an inventory of downtown property, particularly on the isthmus, that would identify the block, the owner and the status of the property.
Buxbaum capped the downtown discussion with two ideas: activating a development loan fund and initiating a community-renewal area program.
“I don’t want a piecemeal approach to downtown,” he told the the council. “I want a very strategic, comprehensive approach.”
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403
rboone@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/bizblog
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