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4.2.5 Cultivate ongoing partnership for "Signature Street"along University Way to <br />emphasize Central Washington University. <br />Significant redevelopment is expected over the next five years along University Way between <br />Main Street and Chestnut Street.Central Washington University has already constructed very <br />attractive signs along the corridor.Over time,the City of Ellensburg should contemplate an <br />ongoing partnership with Central Washington University to create a strong streetscape along the <br />road and reinforce the intersection of Main and University Way as a gateway to downtown. <br />4.2.6 Consider community center in the city center. <br />The YMCA was once a major attractor in downtown Ellensburg for recreation and activities, <br />which have now moved elsewhere in the city.Ellensburg should explore the long term <br />possibility of a multi-use community center in the core of the community.Downtowns are <br />always the best location for community centers for several reasons.These centers create <br />economic spin off of having activities in an area where people can 1.walk to the location,2. <br />spend money in the area afterward,3.share parking resources,and 4.serve as an attractor for <br />additional investment.Several of the vacant or underutilized sites identified in Figure 10 would <br />be ideally suited for a community center that could host meetings,events,the arts,and other <br />uses.This type of project will require a cooperative effort and should be flexible enough to <br />handle a variety of uses. <br />4.2.7 Consider an employer-assisted housing fund <br />Employer-assisted housing programs provide incentives for employees to live within designated <br />places near their place of employment.There are many benefits to such a program including <br />reducing commute times,pollution,and stress;increasing employees'loyalty to the locale where <br />they work;and providing a sustainable program to ensure that housing stays stable in a local <br />market.Typically,large employers such as universities,hospitals,and governments create these <br />funds to foster investment in the community they call home. <br />Often times these incentives are as simple as a small down payment assistance program in a <br />targeted area,reduced fees in a highly targeted area,or a suite of benefits through a public- <br />private partnership.This program could continue to keep neighborhoods between downtown and <br />Central Washington University stable,as well as encourage investment in more housing <br />downtown and more upper floor conversion. <br />34