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Proposals offered to revitalize downtown

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
What should Stevens Point do to retain its downtown as a viable economic strength of the community?

An initial step should be to make the downtown more accessible, said Michael Schroeder of Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., suggesting that the city open the east end of Main Street off CenterPoint Drive and the west end of Main at CenterPoint, and make Main a two-way street.

Schroeder is part of a group making a downtown directional study funded through grants from the Wisconsin Community Based Economic Development Program and the city of Stevens Point.

He and others were involved in a public presentation at the Courthouse Annex on Friday, Aug. 24, soliciting input for the study, which the Portage County Business Council Task Force will implement.

Schroeder said a long-range step to improve the downtown area would be to move CenterPoint Drive north to Portage Street and split CenterPoint MarketPlace in two so Third Street could be extended through the building to CenterPoint Drive, providing an access point in the middle of the block.

That would allow for development of parcels north of the mall, including the former Lullabye Furniture site, he said.

Those long-range steps would evolve over during the next 10, 15 or 20 years, he said.

As far as providing more access to Main and making it a two-way street, Schroeder said "We want people to come downtown for its attraction, not its convenience. Downtowns aren't for people to move through quickly."

The street would be a two-way thoroughfare and trucks stopping in the street to make deliveries will slow traffic further, he said.

That would be the first strategy to revitalize downtown, he said, adding that the city should also make a link from downtown to the Wisconsin River and integrate undeveloped or vacant sites into the downtown.

CenterPoint MarketPlace needs to be integrated into the fabric of downtown, he said. "You want to change the face of the mall, which is like a suburban mall dropped into downtown." He suggested remodeling the exterior of the mall to match the character of the downtown buildings and provide more inviting entrances along CenterPoint Drive.

The mall seems to be a backyard entry of downtown, he said. There is limited or difficult access to Main Street. "You have to go almost all the way around to get in," he said.

The west end of Main should be opened for access to and from the west and signal lights should be installed on CenterPoint Drive, he said, adding the project would be expensive, probably about $250,000.

The downtown needs to take advantage of the resource of the river, he said, and right now pedestrians have to cross 100 feet of concrete without signal lights to get between the two.

Schroeder said the downtown has sites that are vacant, listing the Wisconsin Public Service Corp. site off Crosby Avenue and the Lullabye site and each site has an issue why it hasn't been developed and those issues need to be explored. The Fox Theater is also vacant and could be a key, vital part to rejuvenation downtown, he said.

The historic Kuhl house, commonly called "The Castle," should be utilized as a gateway to the downtown, he said, with traffic coming onto Main from CenterPoint drive off Prentice Street at that point.

The city has invested a lot in the streetscape of downtown, he said, and some areas need updating and replacement. One cosmetic change was replacement of lighting on Main Street, and he suggested lights similar to those on the Clark Street bridge.

He called the supply of parking downtown adequate for a city of this size but said the city needs to look at how the parking is used and the aesthetics of the parking lots, which can distract from the appearance of area. "You don't want to give up greenspace too quickly," he said.

If CenterPoint Drive was moved, he said parking could ring the downtown area and allow that area within the highway to be developed.

Even with a bypass taking traffic off Highway 10 through the downtown, Schroeder said that within 10 years traffic counts seem to return to the level they were before the bypass was constructed.

What's missing from the downtown now, he said, is a residential component, with apartment space available above the stores that should be utilized.

He advocated the start of a public arts program downtown, saying the path-through at the library from Clark Street is not an engaging space.

The Public Square also needs enhancement. "It looks like a big parking lot," he said.

The parking lots need humanizing, he said. "When you step out of car you become a pedestrian. Plant trees."

He also said the city needs to secure the downtown employers. The area has a population of well over 1,000 per day and they need an a large amount of parking, which consumes a large amount of downtown. He suggested looking at parking structures so the city doesn't consume large tracts just for parking.

The city needs to intensify development in downtown. Studies show people will walk one-fourth of a mile and the downtown area is about that distance, he said. "Downtown is also a social place, not shopping space."

The downtown will continue to evolve through the years, and Schroeder said the city should continue looking toward improvements.

Another member of the study group, Terry Rathbun, a commercial investment real estate broker from Rapid City, S.D., said the city needs to get the best use out of the property in the downtown area and he feels there's a potential for development.

Problem properties can create complex problems for transactions or marketing, and Rathbun said he didn't feel they would be a problem in Stevens Point.
Individuals interested in providing input for the study can call 344-3098 or e-mail suggestions to suggestdowntown@portagcountybiz.com. For more information on the study, contact Brian Doudna at the Portage County Business Council, 344-1940.

The presentation of the study was videotaped, and Doudna said arrangements can be made for groups or organizations to watch the tape, which is about an hour long.



	Proposals offered to revitalize downtown By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette What should Stevens Point do to retain its downtown as a viable economic strength of the community? An initial step should be to make the downtown more accessible, said Michael Schroeder of Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., suggesting that the city open the east end of Main Street off CenterPoint Drive and the west end of Main at CenterPoint, and make Main a two-way street. Schroeder is part of a group making a downtown directional study funded through grants from the Wisconsin Community Based Economic Development Program and the city of Stevens Point. He and others were involved in a public presentation at the Courthouse Annex on Friday, Aug. 24, soliciting input for the study, which the Portage County Business Council Task Force will implement. Schroeder said a long-range step to improve the downtown area would be to move CenterPoint Drive north to Portage Street and split CenterPoint MarketPlace in two so Third Street could be extended through the building to CenterPoint Drive, providing an access point in the middle of the block. That would allow for development of parcels north of the mall, including the former Lullabye Furniture site, he said. Those long-range steps would evolve over during the next 10, 15 or 20 years, he said. As far as providing more access to Main and making it a two-way street, Schroeder said "We want people to come downtown for its attraction, not its convenience. Downtowns aren't for people to move through quickly." The street would be a two-way thoroughfare and trucks stopping in the street to make deliveries will slow traffic further, he said. That would be the first strategy to revitalize downtown, he said, adding that the city should also make a link from downtown to the Wisconsin River and integrate undeveloped or vacant sites into the downtown. CenterPoint MarketPlace needs to be integrated into the fabric of downtown, he said. "You want to change the face of the mall, which is like a suburban mall dropped into downtown." He suggested remodeling the exterior of the mall to match the character of the downtown buildings and provide more inviting entrances along CenterPoint Drive. The mall seems to be a backyard entry of downtown, he said. There is limited or difficult access to Main Street. "You have to go almost all the way around to get in," he said. The west end of Main should be opened for access to and from the west and signal lights should be installed on CenterPoint Drive, he said, adding the project would be expensive, probably about $250,000. The downtown needs to take advantage of the resource of the river, he said, and right now pedestrians have to cross 100 feet of concrete without signal lights to get between the two. Schroeder said the downtown has sites that are vacant, listing the Wisconsin Public Service Corp. site off Crosby Avenue and the Lullabye site and each site has an issue why it hasn't been developed and those issues need to be explored. The Fox Theater is also vacant and could be a key, vital part to rejuvenation downtown, he said. The historic Kuhl house, commonly called "The Castle," should be utilized as a gateway to the downtown, he said, with traffic coming onto Main from CenterPoint drive off Prentice Street at that point. The city has invested a lot in the streetscape of downtown, he said, and some areas need updating and replacement. One cosmetic change was replacement of lighting on Main Street, and he suggested lights similar to those on the Clark Street bridge. He called the supply of parking downtown adequate for a city of this size but said the city needs to look at how the parking is used and the aesthetics of the parking lots, which can distract from the appearance of area. "You don't want to give up greenspace too quickly," he said. If CenterPoint Drive was moved, he said parking could ring the downtown area and allow that area within the highway to be developed. Even with a bypass taking traffic off Highway 10 through the downtown, Schroeder said that within 10 years traffic counts seem to return to the level they were before the bypass was constructed. What's missing from the downtown now, he said, is a residential component, with apartment space available above the stores that should be utilized. He advocated the start of a public arts program downtown, saying the path-through at the library from Clark Street is not an engaging space. The Public Square also needs enhancement. "It looks like a big parking lot," he said. The parking lots need humanizing, he said. "When you step out of car you become a pedestrian. Plant trees." He also said the city needs to secure the downtown employers. The area has a population of well over 1,000 per day and they need an a large amount of parking, which consumes a large amount of downtown. He suggested looking at parking structures so the city doesn't consume large tracts just for parking. The city needs to intensify development in downtown. Studies show people will walk one-fourth of a mile and the downtown area is about that distance, he said. "Downtown is also a social place, not shopping space." The downtown will continue to evolve through the years, and Schroeder said the city should continue looking toward improvements. Another member of the study group, Terry Rathbun, a commercial investment real estate broker from Rapid City, S.D., said the city needs to get the best use out of the property in the downtown area and he feels there's a potential for development. Problem properties can create complex problems for transactions or marketing, and Rathbun said he didn't feel they would be a problem in Stevens Point. Individuals interested in providing input for the study can call 344-3098 or e-mail suggestions to suggestdowntown@portagcountybiz.com. For more information on the study, contact Brian Doudna at the Portage County Business Council, 344-1940. The presentation of the study was videotaped, and Doudna said arrangements can be made for groups or organizations to watch the tape, which is about an hour long.