The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About9-23-1993 CHPC MINUTES � • • • �' Historic Preservation Commission � . �' �'� , � y'^t' 621 C�EVELAND BLVD. �. : � '� �� ,(, � CALDWF_LL, IDAHO 83605 a T EL. : ( 208) 455-3006 L� FAX 455-3003 C�Idwell Dcpot Pacing Seventh Ave. ( 1')1)G} MINUTES Meeting of September 23, 1993 , Present Chair Madeline Buckendorf, Carol Burbank, Bill Gigray III, Vivian McKay, Steve Maughan. Absent: Tom Ensley, Elaine Leppert; Staff: Dennis Crooks, Liz Yeary � Guests: Larry Bledsoe, Kathy Clayton-Wonderlich, Norm Holm, Stan Olson, J.R. Schiller, Carol West . The September 23, 1993 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was called to order in the City Council Chambers at 7:20 p.m. following a small reception. Madeline Buckendorf opened the meeting, explaining that this was another in a series of town hall meetings, and subsequently handed the coordination of the meeting to Bill Gigray III, who is serving as moderator of all the sessions. Mr. Gigray welcomed everyone to the meeting particularly those representatives from the City of Nampa, who had graciously agreed to share their experiences of downtowri revitalization with Caldwell. Bill explained that the Commission had already met witl� Boise and Pocatello. After the meeting with Pocatello it was agreed to set up a meeting with Nampa, since that city is our neighbor, and review their experience. Larry Bledsoe, City Engineer, began by explaining that revitalization did not follow a logical path but somehow ended up a success. In 1982, buildings were closed, weeds were present, and it was obvious that something had to be done. The City Engineering office initiated the process by compiling an inventory of downtown businesses and properties. A sketch map and illustrations of the downtown area were prepared and reviewed to see what could be done to improve the appearance. The business people then met with the City and there was an overwhelming response of support. Norm Holm explained that the method used to finance this was a Business Improvement District (BID) which is a means by which cities or certain people within a city can taa�c themselves �for improvements. The City was involved in the process from the beginning but it was the merchants and business owners who had the enthusiasm to get it going. The�e was a one time assessment of the business owners to provide funds for the developrtien� of a Plan for the downtown. Since they were also seeking Community Block Developmeng Grants from the Department of Commerce they had to have a Plan. People went out and petitioned other businesses to sign for the assessment rate. This generated enough money to prepare the Plan. The City helped with the accounting and financing. Mayor Winston 1 " • • � 1 Goering and others went to a meeting of a Development Association Meeting in Oregon when the Main Street Program was discussed. They brought the information back and ' with that the downtown businessmen got enough support to get things off the ground. ', i J.R. Schiller said that in order to demonstrate the need for a program, photos were taken I of a significant block and people realized how bad things were. One building was torn down and became more parking for the downtown. They designed a medium that people could visualize and see and get other people excited about. Larry went� on to explain that once a plan was developed the next step was to develop a model block. People have difficulty envisioning a plan and seeing what it will look like on the ground. There was one block of which the City owned a third, so the City offered a lot of the funding and the owners offered the rest and so a prototype was born which generated a lot of enthusiasm. The rest of the Downtown was a combination of City money, local money, and grants. Streets were reconstructed. In the design and construction an effort was made to try and create a physical identiry to the downtown. The same theme was camed on in every sphere, including landscaping and colors so that it made a physical identity. J.R. Schiller was Chairman of the Committee that helped get the second BID organized. He is still the President of the corporation that runs BID #2. J.R. explained that the theory behind #2 was that you can make physical improvements but if you still have empty buildings and businesses leaving, you have not accomplished anything. The improvements will deteriorate and no-one will come down anyway. So the idea was to get an organization downtown that helps promote business downtown. This is allowed by State Law where there is an organization of the business owners downtown, not the property owners. Petitions were signed asking the Ciry Council to promote this. The total assessable area was calculated and there had to be business representing 50% or more of the total area. The City Council will create business improvement district and create an assessment against the business owners. The initial budget was $40,000 per year and it is still the same. Once that is created the City has an option of creditin� themselves or they can give it to a corporation for the purposes of operating, which is what happened in Nampa. A non-profit corporation was formed. Members of the corporatior� were the business owners who were paying the assessment. They elected a Board of Directors and Officers. They hired a manager and, now, co-directors for the day to day operation of Downtown. They follow a Main Street program: a) to put on promotions to draw customers downtown; b) economic development which is to attract new businesses and keep the ones already there; c) concentrate on beautification which is a continuing process - streets, sidewalks, facades, banners. d) organization This is the way it has been operating for the past nine years. The first floor vacancy at the beginning was 25%. It is now 3.78%. 2 . � . Kathy Wonderlich and Carol West, Co-Directors of Downtown IVampa Merchants' Association, then showed some slides of downtown iVampa, some before, some after revitalization. Some of the ideas for improvement: sidewalk cafes, murals, replacing dilapidated buildings with parking space, dates and names on buildings, light poles, banners. If two projected sales go through, the vacancy rate will be 1.6%. The strongest avenue that the o�ce has approached is economic development. They contacted all of the owners of the buildings and got their names. The central office Downtown is designed for people to come to and find out information about downtown vacancies. Forty people were placed in 32 months without any commission. They paid for signs to be painted that can be put in the vacant buildings. Realtors are encouraged to go through Downtown. They have a lot of professional uses downtown and are trying to recruit some good retail. That is the direction in which they are moving now. BID #2, assessment was $220, $1,650 per year, 6.6� per square foot, which was based on lot area not buildings. A majority of businesses fit in the $200/year range. This generates $45,000 per year. Businesses are allowed there the first year without an assessment b� State Law. Lend services to people. The main intent of Downtown is to get peopl� downtown. More people increases retail business. Downtown will not attract major ch��. stores but will attract smaller quality stores that offer special services. Events are put o�, to draw people downtown. Four major events a year were scheduled to bring peopie downtown. They try to stay with those four each year. If one does not work out t�� replace it with another. e.g. Snake River Stampede Craft show entertainment, food booths, sidewalk sales Christmas A Promotions Committee does all the work. The biggest success is Halloween. Five thousand children come downtown. They brir�� 5,000 parents... In response to a question from the floor, Larry Bledsoe responded that planning took ��. six months to get a plan together. Thirty people served on the original pla�ii�� committee. The vital thing was that the businesses were involved at the very beginning and got this going. They were part of the planning process. Participation helped to maintain enthusiasm and deter negative comment and criticism. There were waning years, when the whole economy was in a bad way. It would be a lot easier now with the economy going so well. But the work went on even during those bad times. So when the economy improved they were ready to go with it. 3