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With procurement of grants/loans totaling $3.5 million in 3.5 years, Cle Elum residents and business owners have
<br />acknowledged the reality ofthe downtown revitalization coming to fi.uition. The rigorous planning process discussed
<br />in question 5 included feasibility analysis of design alternatives, followed by adoption of the prefened alternative by
<br />City Council. Though the planning process did not include a market study and potential economic outcomes
<br />following completion of the revitalization, comparisons were made to many of the eastem Washington neighboring
<br />communities implementing main street revitalizations, with overwhelming positive results.
<br />Eastern Washington examples of economic revitalization resulting from revitalized Main Streets/downtowns include
<br />Grandview, Sunnyside, and Yakima, Washington. The consultant team contracted by the City (HLA and HBB) led
<br />these three efforts, including the award-winning Grandview "Alive" Downtown Revitalization, where over twenty
<br />store fronts were vacant prior to the project, and today, there are no downtown vacancies in the thriving community.
<br />Public benefits from the project completion are improved transportation flow and decrease in multi-modal conflict.
<br />For the motoring public, reduced travel lanes and increased streetscape defines the spaoe of the walkable downtown
<br />and prepares the driver for slower and mixed mobility activity. The majority of improvements are for people using
<br />the sidewalk system in the downtown core. Wide, unobstructed sidewalks, a mix of sffeet and pedestrian level
<br />lighting, bulb-outs designed to reduce the crossing distance at every intersection in the conidor, shade and amenities
<br />to provide comfoft, are all elements included in the design with public benefit as the focus.
<br />In Cle Elum, though the streetscape improvements have been completed at the bookend intersections and along a
<br />single block only, the City is already experiencing redevelopment and reinvestment along First Street. In the two-
<br />year period of 2019-2020, the City experienced seventeen new businesses, seventeen building sales, one infill
<br />project, one redevelopment, and four aesthetic improvement projects for local businesses. Several businesses have
<br />experienced record sales each month since the start of the pandemic, but even prior to COVID-I9, the entire Upper
<br />Kittitas County was experiencing record tourism Thursdays through Mondays, primarily from the Seattle
<br />metropolitan area. Completing Phase 34 gives the City sense of completion of one block in the corridor and prepares
<br />the City to move on to the next subphase. Continuingto improve more of the corridor is anticipated to spur additional
<br />new business, building sales, infill projects, and redevelopment.
<br />5. Define the total number of project partnerc demonstrating project support.
<br />The City retained the services of HLA Engineering and Land Surveying, lnc. (HLA), together with HBB Landscape
<br />Architecture (HBB), to facilitate the planning process to arrive at a concept titled the "Preferred Alternative" as
<br />shown on the attached pamphlet titled "Downtown Revitalization Planning I st Street Concept." The planning
<br />process was initiated in April 2017 with a Walk and Talk downtown tour, which included City staff and the Mayor,
<br />primarily to discuss existing themes, deficiencies, and opportunities. Next, four focus group sessions were
<br />administered with assistance from Central Washington University land-use planning students, including business
<br />owners, longlime residents, students, and Suncadia Resort members,
<br />From the focus groups, HLA and HBB created two geometric layouts of a typical block and three amenity grouping
<br />concepts. These layouts and concepts were presented at a community stakeholder workshop with 28 pafticipants,
<br />and public preferences were noled. Based on workshop findings, a preferred concept was born and presented at a
<br />combined City Council and Planning Commission sludy session, see attached titled "Cle Elum Downtown Planning
<br />- Focus on lst Street Design Concepts.n' Following the study session, the concept was presented at a public forum
<br />with 32 participants, continuing to gain traction. After detailirrg the preferred concept to address public desires, the
<br />Planning Commissiort prepared an official recommendation to the City Council on June 26,2017, to adopt the
<br />Prefened Alternative, see attached. On June 27,2017, the City Council adopted by Resolution 2017-01I (attached)
<br />the Preferred Alternative with an overwhelming anrount of support from the community,45 participants and standing
<br />room only in the Council Chambers.
<br />Construction of the stormwater system took place and street improvements will all take place within existing
<br />Washington Stale Department of Transportation (WSDOT) right of way, while the City has control of access points.
<br />As a result, the City has been required to and will continue to receive WSDOT approval on plans and specifications
<br />prior to construction.
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