Downtown revitalization has been a focus for the city since 2016, when it hired a consultant to compile a downtown redevelopment plan, said Angie Steelman, executive director of finance and project management. Investing in downtown areas can preserve history, attract tourism, and strengthen the city’s economy and culture, the report showed.
Two of three components of the plan have been completed as the city reconstructed Park Avenue and upgraded League Park. At a Jan. 11 City Council workshop meeting, council directed city staff to postpone the last component, which focuses on revitalizing Main Street between Hwy. 3 and Iowa Avenue.
The project would install brick-paved pedestrian crossings; improve the streetscape with widened sidewalks, additional trees and enhanced lighting; and relocate overhead power lines underground between Hwy. 3 and Michigan Avenue. Relocating the Main Street power lines were estimated to cost almost $1.9 million.
In total, basic improvements on Main Street—not including right of way acquisition or engineering fees—would cost $6.25 million, Steelman said.
However, at the Jan. 11 meeting several council members said the city should first focus on other aspects of revitalization, including attracting more commercial businesses to Main Street and selling underutilized properties the city owns before focusing on Main Street improvements.
Mayor Pro Tem Nick Long said he would like to see the city’s “blue building” at 144 Park Avenue be redeveloped before the city invests in relocating power lines. Long said the building, which is adjacent to Founder's Square, is probably “the biggest eyesore out there.”
“As far as getting the utilities done, I think it’s important—I don’t think it’s top of the list. I think the blue building is top of the list,” Long said.
The building is used by city staff for training and city meetings and acts as storage space for training materials for the city's fire department and emergency medical technicians, Director of Communications and Media Relations Sarah Greer Osborne said.
City Manager John Baumgartner said the city could sell the building and include provisions in the sale requiring potential buyers to submit a proposal for concept plans, allowing the city more sway in what is developed there.
“If we’re not going to invest in taking the power lines underground and we’re not ready to invest in the streetscape to create an environment that’s different than we have out there today, .... we should dispose of the properties we have and put them back into some sort of viable commercial enterprise,” Baumgartner said.
Several years ago, the city also accepted proposals for the Park Avenue property with the hopes of finding a buyer who would redevelop the property into something that would revitalize the downtown area, Osborne said. However, Osborne said the city did not receive viable options at the time.
