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L A trnfi,oduction l.L tsackground With a population ofjust over 18,000 as of the 2010 Census, the City of Ellensburg is uniquely positioned in central Washington at the intersection of Interstates 90 and 82. It is the center of commerce and government for Kittitas County, which extends frorn the Cascades to the West and the Columbia River to the East. It is a popular destination for travelers because of its location, and a cluster of hotels and restaurants serve both exits to the commturity off of lnterstate 90. Ellensburg is also known as the home of Central Washington University and the annual Ellensburg Rodeo that attracts national attention. The downtown has maintained much of its historic charm including Victorian, Art Deco, and vemacular buildings of the 1920's. As is the case with many communities, downtown Ellensburg has changed from being the sole center of conunerce for the community as suburban-style commercial development has occurred in other parts of the city. However, Ellensburg has been very proactive in promoting and investing in the downtown as a vibrant location for independent retailers, specialty dining, a variety of business and financial services, government offices, cultural athactions, and special events. The community has not been content to rest on this success and has continued to invest in downtown. In20l3, community leaders acknowledged that a significant building in downtown - the Geddis Building - was at risk of becoming a serious blight on redeveloping downtown. The large building located at the pivotal southwest comer of 4th Avenue and Pearl Street was in decline. As a result, the City of Ellensburg, the Ellensburg Downtown Association, the Kittitas Counfy Charnber of Commerce, and the Ellensburg Business Development Authority forged an alliance formally called the Downtown Revitalization Committee, but more commonly known as "The Downtowners," to purchase the building, hold it in trust, and resell it to an owner that is actively renovating the property and plans to add new residential units and retail development to downtown. The Downtowrers realized that this success could be parlayed into an ongoing proactive approach to continued public/private partnership investrnent in downtown Ellensburg. 1.2 Study Scope This shrdy was commissioned to examine both the market opportunities for downtown as well as the physical environment and to recommend how the Downtowners should continue to utilize their knowledge and connections to create investment and development opportunities in the community, This study involved two key components that are closely intertwined. The first is an understanding of the Ellensburg market through a market analysis that looks at retail, residential, office, and accommodations possibilities. The second is connecting this market knowledge with key sites and buildings in downtown Ellensburg to prioritize potential for future investment. Of particular interest to the group was higher and better use of upper floor spaces in Ellensburg and over the course of the project examining a larger "fooq)rint" for downtown became apparent. 3