[Vision2020] RE: The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

Sun Jul 10 14:05:09 PDT 2005

Everyone,

If you do not remember, Moscow and the University did complete a Downtown
Plan.  The Committee was the CRC and was a part of the LEDC.  We solicited
for consultants, hired a group and actually received and the City Council
accepted a short term plan from them - they felt the long-range plan was too
grandiose.  This plan was the basis of the Downtown Grant and the activities
happening in Friendship Square.  The plan cost a minimum of $50,000 and the
LEDC/Chamber used the plan to receive a grant from Verizon to hire an
interim Downtown Coordinator until a BID could be done.  The implementation
of the Plan was left to the Chamber.  The LEDC's participation ended after
we supervised the interim Coordinator.  In fact, First Step was kind enough
to give the Downtown Association a website and free hosting.  This all
happened in the last three years (3).  There is also a section that talks
about zoning changes in the Downtown.  If you would like this section (it is
about 40 pages) just e-mail me and I will send it to you.

There was lots of public input sought, including a tenant at the Ren Fair
and a table at the Latah County fair.  The General Public Input was
solicited in 2001 and 2002.  Downtown Property owners and Business people
met for almost a year before public input.

Moscow plans to start the public process for the Comprehensive Plan re-write
this fall as part of the New Cities Initative.  I would like to see the
community focus on writing a good solid, 20-30 year Comprehensive Plan.

Barbara Crouch

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On
Behalf Of Art Deco
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 9:48 AM
To: Vision 2020
Cc: Nancy Chaney; John Dickinson; Peg Hamlett; JoAnn Mack; Linda Pall
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] RE:The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

Debbie, et al,

I think the Moscow City Council is off track in dealing with current
downtown zoning and allied issues.  Changing or not changing the zoning
ordinance at this time without a discussion of larger issues will only make
a bigger, more divisive mess.

First, through a series of methods soliciting public and business input, a
vision for what the downtown area should be like in the future and how it
relates to the city as a whole needs to be discussed and decided upon.

That vision and various ways of achieving it then needs to become part of
the Moscow Comprehensive Plan.

The part of plan that can be implemented through changes in the zoning
ordinance should then codified in the ordinance.  Other Comp Plan elements
not specific to the zoning ordinance, e.g. promoting downtown development
and use, creating interest and encouraging capital investment, should be
rigorously micro-planned and executed.

It does not take much Googling for the non-professional to learn how hard it
is. for example, to maintain and enhance the downtown core as a viable
business district for cities the size of Moscow.  There are a few success
stories and many, many failures.  The success stories result from careful,
public involved planning and a "let's do what's best for the community"
attitude on behalf of the majority of citizens.

Whither Moscow?  Its time for a vision, not just an accommodating handjob on
the current zoning ordinance.

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Debbie Gray" <dgray at uidaho.edu>
To: <thansen at moscow.com>; "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 11:16 PM
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] RE:The Key to Helping Downtown Moscow Thrive

>I think a thorough economic impact analysis might be quite enlightening.
> It is NOT impossible to prove whether or not NSA has had an economic
> effect on the downtown. Your in-depth case study of you preferring to
> drive 8 miles to pullman instead of walking an extra block to downtown is
> quite interesting but proves nothing. And I am truly curous how you know
> that all the cars hogging the downtown parking are NSA students? Do these
> cars also wear uniforms?
>
> And how can you demand evidence from Donovan("Arnold, what evidence have
> you got that you can share to substantiate this claim?  What quantifiable
> measure can you show us to reflect increased revenue in the central
> business district as a direct result of NSA's presence?) and then state
> that "I could easily substantiate that revenue has been lost as a result
> simply by the lack of available parking during the week" and then give
> your only substantiating evidence as 'I, tom hansen, have, in the past,
> driven to pullman to purchase something instead of purchasing something
> downtown since parking spots were occupied by NSA students' (to summarize)
>
> I am curious (and have no idea) how long the buildings that NSA occupy
> stood vacant? Where are the businesses lining up to get into downtown
> spaces? Aren't there at least 2 vacant building there now? (where the
> bridal shop was and that funky semi-antique store next to wild women
> traders)  What about all the other vacant buildings around town?
>
>
> Debbie
>
> On Thu, 7 Jul 2005 thansen at moscow.com wrote:
>
>> It is nearly impossible to prove a negative, Ms. Gray.
>>
>> However, I have found myself driving the extra few miles (to Pullman) on
>> occasion due to a general lack of parking in the downtown Moscow area,
>> parking taken up by NSA students.
>>
>> The question then becomes:
>>
>> How many others have made the same decision (resulting in lost revenue)?
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>
>> > OK I'll bite. Let's see quanitifiable evidence that revenue has
>> > been lost. And who has lost the revenue? Or has revenue
>> > increased? And who has benefited from an increase? And how is
>> > that being measured specifically?
>> >
>> > On 7 Jul 2005 at 12:18, Tom Hansen wrote:
>> > > I could easily substantiate that revenue has been lost as a
>> > > result simply by the lack of available parking during the
>> > week.
>> >
>> >
>> > _____________________________________________________
>> >  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>> >  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>> >                http://www.fsr.net
>> >           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>> > ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------
>> This message was sent by First Step Internet.
>>            http://www.fsr.com/
>>
>>
>>
>
> Debbie
>
> %^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
>  Debbie Gray      dgray at uidaho.edu
>  We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
>  so as to have the life that is waiting for us." --Joseph Campbell
> %^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%
>
> _____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
>
>
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