7 minute read
Downtown
GOAL
Monroe will reinvigorate the downtown by strategically planning a genuine community gathering space that fosters public private partnerships for varied residential opportunities, creates jobs through business attraction and retention, and caters to a pedestrian-oriented environment with generation bridging activities.
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DOWNTOWN
This plan envisions the downtown area as a thriving asset that better establishes Monroe as a complete community. In other words, the goal of the downtown recommendations is to create an environment for people to enjoy being downtown for living, shopping, dining, entertainment, recreation, and work opportunities. While Monroe has a diverse land use mix of neighborhoods, employment districts, commercial corridors, and parks, the downtown lacks the activities to make it a unique district. Key amenities to attract families, young professionals, and other residents are critical to the future success of the area. This includes creating opportunities for more urban living, entertainment attractions, activities for families and children, arts and culture events, walkable streets, and interactive gathering spaces.
The recommendations below focus on the amenities and design elements needed to attract new development and subsequently, more residents and visitors to the downtown area. Some of the recommendations in this section will be implemented by the city or local non-profit groups and will require significant public investment. Public investment in these projects helps to exhibit the city’s commitment to the downtown and will then help attract developers and stimulate private investment in the area.
Principles That Guided Development of the Downtown Recommendations
• The downtown area should be considered as the activity center of the city. It is also an opportunity to showcase community identity.
A thoughtful revitalization plan can draw more investment in downtown and shape it into a community focal point.
• To achieve broader economic development goals, the city needs to make some changes to the current industrial-heavy economic model. A prosperous downtown can benefit the community by adding diversity into the local economy, fostering local businesses, building economic resilience and promoting equity.
• A vibrant, walkable downtown can attract and retain talent and new businesses. It also provides opportunities for cultural engagement.
Street lighting and other street furnishings at pedestrian scale can provide security and convenience to this area, which is vital to achieve walkability.
• Main Street and Elm Street are the only streets that provide through traffic to and from downtown. By extending the existing grid pattern and adding sidewalks and bicycle routes, downtown accessibility can be greatly improved and thus contribute to economic and social developments.
• Existing streetscapes and buildings need to be renovated to provide a more attractive visual impression to locals and visitors, which can help bring more investments into the area.
• A strong downtown district has the advantage of concentrated resources to provide career education and training to residents and feed into the local talent pathway.
Recommendations
1. Streetscape improvement:
a. Sidewalk / pedestrian friendly facilities.
b. Pedestrian crossings at intersections.
c. Beautification and street trees.
d. Encourage active pedestrian spaces integral to new development. e. Stormwater planters and/or permeable pavement should be incorporated into the design of new streets and the redesign of existing streets.
f. Add new street connections that will increase connectivity within the downtown and expand the grid street network.
2. Enhance access to and from downtown by extending existing streets and constructing shared-use trails, sidewalk improvements, and additional street connections.
a. Extend Lee Price Avenue from Macready Avenue to Church
Street.
b. Extend Courtland Drive from East Avenue to Main Street.
c. Extend Macready Avenue from Lee Price Avenue to Old Street
d. Connect Church Street to Lee Price Avenue.
e. Construct shared-use trails based on future development map.
3. Create gathering and event spaces.
a. Create Elm Street Plaza as a gathering space for residents and a venue for local events. Rebuild the section of Elm Street south of the plaza to create a pedestrian friendly environment and serve as an overflow event place, which can be closed to vehicular traffic during events. Events should be scheduled on a regular basis and attract a wide range of audiences.
b. Celebrate the community’s heritage and cultural assets by building upon and enhancing the local Historical Museum and
Monroe Historical Society Building by the Elm Street Plaza.
c. Building a new amphitheater west of downtown for large events such as concert performances and seasonal markets tied to events in the downtown.
4. Update infrastructure to serve a more active and pedestrian friendly downtown.
a. Make Main Street a complete street by allowing for on-street parking and developing multi-modal transportation options for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
i. Accommodate on-street parking for easy access to downtown businesses. Encourage shared-parking and parking structures to encourage more efficient use of downtown space. Adequate parking must be provided for stand-alone restaurants and shops.
ii. Off-street parking should be located to the rear of primary buildings in the downtown area to create a more active streetscape and limit the visual impacts of parking lots.
c. Bicycle facilities:
i. Provide separated cycling facilities such as a bike lane or cycle track where space allows. Shared-used trails should be 10’-12’ wide for optimal usage. Trail crossings at intersections should remain the same width.
ii. Provide separate trail signage as needed.
iii. Provide sufficient bike parking, both within public spaces and as a part of private development.
d. Pedestrian amenities:
i. Install street furnishings to create a more diverse pedestrian experience.
ii. Add art into public space design.
iii. Provide enough pedestrian-scaled lighting to encourage foot traffic at night.
5. Visual Improvement:
a. Beautify and revitalize public spaces through high quality development, public art, and parks and open space enhancement.
b. A unique way-finding system that showcases the community character should be designed and installed.
c. Create gateways at key entrance points to the downtown. i. In highly visible areas, the City should work with utility providers to relocate utilities either underground or to another street during major redevelopment projects.
e. Strengthen development regulations regarding building and street aesthetics within the downtown. An update to the
Planning and Zoning Code should evaluate landscape, signs, lighting, and other aesthetic standards for all development within the downtown. For example:
i. Encourage outdoor seating and displays for restaurants and shops throughout the downtown.
ii. Parking:
1. Restrict the number of vehicles that can be parked in the front yard in certain areas within the downtown.
2. Restrict daytime on-street residential parking within the downtown to allow for more parking for businesses.
3. Promote and encourage shared parking throughout the downtown.
6. Proposed development:
a. Support redevelopment of vacant and underutilized properties in the downtown to better grow the City’s tax base and result in a more active district.
b. New housing development in the form of quality multi-family housing and mixed-use development should be encouraged to bring young professionals, downtown workers, and postretirement individuals to the area and populate to the downtown.
c. Encourage a diversity of businesses to locate in the downtown such as shops, restaurants, cafes, and office spaces. Makerspaces should also be encouraged for artists, entrepreneurs, and others to locate and work in the downtown.
7. Develop criteria for the use of incentives to encourage local businesses to open in Monroe. Incentives can be related to lease agreements, fee waivers, or increased density or height as an example. These incentives must be approved on a case-by-case basis.
8. Commercial buildings should follow the design guidelines in the
Zoning Code. If the building is a mixed-use development, the first floor should have a high amount of window transparency.
9. While businesses on adjacent lots should share parking spaces in accordance with Section 1211.03(I)(4) of the Planning and Zoning
Code, the City should explore reducing the number of parking spaces required if drop off zones for ride sharing or driverless vehicles is accommodated.
10. Update the Zoning Code to allow for increased density in the downtown area. This could include increases in height, dwelling units per acre, or lot coverage.
11. Encourage bicycle parking across the downtown; refer to Planning and Zoning Code Section 1211.03(H).
12. Consider the use of incentives, such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), façade grant programs, business improvement districts (BIDs), fee waivers, and/or rental assistance programs, to catalyze development and reinvestment in the downtown.
13. As redevelopment occurs, ensure that it is pedestrian-scale.
Fundamental to downtown redevelopment, architectural characteristics and pedestrian amenities are critical to making people feel comfortable navigating downtown streets.
Street enhancements and new storefront development can transform the downtown and make it more enjoyable and walkable
