As I sit down to write this article, the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association (ADHDA) is coming off a pretty exciting week. Our two most recent celebrations came from the City Council meeting last Tuesday (Feb. 16), when two important items were approved.
Item One: Exploring Downtown the Main Street Way
We received consent from the City of Astoria to apply to the Oregon Main Street Program. Astoria participated in the program long ago, and even had a dedicated (and paid) downtown manager. Our application is on its way to Salem as I write this, and if accepted, Astoria will be participating at the (entry) "Exploring Downtown" level.
By participating, we gain access to technical and informational resources in Salem, as well as the ability to tap into what all of the state’s other Main Street communities are doing. It’s safe to say many share challenges and opportunities similar to our own, and our hope is to shorten our learning curve by finding out what has worked for them, and what hasn’t.
The thrust of the Main Street Program is generating economic development with a concentration on historic preservation, which is right in line with the Columbia-Pacific Preservation effort that has been in development in our region for the last year. Since 1980, Main Street programs across the country have generated $48.8 billion in public/private investment in physical improvements. They have resulted in 87,850 NET new businesses, 391,050 NET new jobs, and 206,600 building rehabilitations. And according to program statistics, an average of $25 in new investment occurs for every $1 a community invests in program efforts.
There is no fee to participate in the Main Street Program. There are requirements that must be met, but at the entry level (where we will be starting, if accepted) the demands are quite manageable. At the two higher levels of participation, some level of staffing is required, which is something ADHDA wants to pursue in any case. We believe the Main Street Program will serve as a roadmap to get there.
Item Two: Knowing What We Have to Offer
The other item ADHDA is excited about pertains to approval by Council for City staff to pursue a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant that would be used to develop a comprehensive inventory of our downtown district – including square footage of contiguous spaces within buildings (including upper floors and basements as well as street level spaces; code and zoning restrictions; historic designations; occupancy; owner and tenant contact information; electronic mapping and more. This, combined with initial inventory work completed last summer, and 3-D modeling work underway by Clatsop Community College interns at the City of Astoria, will result in a tool that several entities can tap as a central information repository for business recruiting and retention within the downtown core. It’s envisioned that the information would also be made available online, assisting property owners in marketing available spaces, and helping businesses to evaluate location options.
Another ADHDA Initiative: "Dollars for Change"
Anyone who has given their time and talent to a non-profit organization knows you can only get so far on the backs of volunteers. And while we have an energized and passionate board, and growing participation of downtown constituents, it remains obvious that in order to leverage the full potential of our downtown, we need someone who can eat, sleep and breathe Downtown Astoria for 20 or even 40 hours a week. This means a paid staff person, and yes, this means money.
The ADHDA is aware that the economy is negatively impacting many businesses. While sustainable funding will be required at some point in the near future (often accomplished by instituting economic and/or business improvement districts) we’re not terribly optimistic that downtown constituents would support that path right now.
We have another idea in the interim. We are planning to apply to a special volunteer program administered by the University of Oregon, which places "cream-of-the-crop" students (often graduate level) in rural communities to accomplish specific projects that would otherwise not be possible. If approved, we could have a college student working on downtown initiatives full-time for 11 months. There is a cost associated, but far less than what it would take to hire an employee to fill that role for the same period of time. The thought is that after 11 months of seeing the difference that a fulltime staff person can make, downtown property and business owners will agree that the value they receive is worth far more than the small portion of the costs each owner would share for future staffing.
ADHDA will be kicking off a pledge drive at its next general meeting, Friday, March 5, 8:30 a.m. at Baked Alaska. We have approximately 4 months to secure $19,000 if we are accepted to participate in the U of O program. The board has already pledged $1,000, and a couple of matching grant opportunities may enable us to cover up to half of the total cost. That means we need at least $8,500 more from our community. What do you say? Can you spare a few "Dollars for Change" in our downtown?
ADHDA is a 501(c)3 organization. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Mail your pledge to PO Box 261 in Astoria. Payment must be received by June 30, 2010.