Laserfiche WebLink
4.2 3 Cultivate ongoing partnership for "Signature Street- along University Way to <br />emphasize Central Washington Urvivoersi( . <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 far 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 horsing fiend <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 threes, 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 <br />