Help plan downtown's future

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 16, 2004 | by Cahalan, Steve

You're invited to a meeting Thursday on drafts of three plans for continued revitalization of downtown La Crosse.

The city and Downtown Mainstreet Inc. will hold their third public meeting on the plans from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Pump House Regional Arts Center at 119 King St.

After the public input, the draft copies will be touched up and forwarded to the LaCrosse Common Council for consider-, ation. The plans are:

* An update to the City Vision 2000 downtown master plan. The update will be known as City Vision 2020.

* An update to the Heritage Preservation Plan for Downtown La Crosse's Historic Commercial District. The original plan was adopted in 1996.

* Marketing strategies and tools to promote the entire city, not just the downtown, as a place to do business and live.

Drafts of the first two plans have been posted on the city's Web site, www.cityoflacrosse .org. Click on "planning" to see them.

"All three plans are important to the continued economic redevelopment and revitalization of our downtown," DMI Executive Director Bud Miyamoto said.

Among other things, the City Vision master plan update "puts emphasis on the river," said Tim Kabat, the city's economic development planner. For example, it envisions restaurants, entertainment and social activities along the riverfront, he said.

The update identifies six sites as redevelopment priorities - the former Listman Mill property on Front Street, where a new Logistics Health office building is proposed; the Sara Lee Bakery warehouse along Second Street; the county parking lot south of the county law enforcement center; the former Holiday Inn hotel site on Barron Island; the area on the east side of Third Street, between Jay and King streets, where the city plans to build a new transit center; and, the former Mobil Oil site.

It envisions redeveloping the Mobil Oil site with multiple uses including residential, neighborhood retail, parks and open space. For the former Holiday Inn property, it recommends a recreational or commercial facility such as an indoor water park and hotel.

Some other recommendations are:

* Maximize the downtown's connection to the river, partly by encouraging mixed-use development near the waterfront, especially restaurants, retail and outdoor activity; extending the riverwalk to the south to connect to Houska Park, and to the north to the Mobil Oil site as well as Copeland Park; and by developing a riverfront drive.

* Provide a more centrally located visitor center, and put a restaurant in the current visitors center in Riverside Park.

* Reduce impediments that hinder redevelopment of second and third floors of downtown buildings.

* Architectural and urban design guidelines for redevelopment downtown. The Common Council would decide whether they would be mandatory or only advisory.

The draft of the updated Heritage Preservation Plan calls for creating a local historic district with design standards and provisions for design review for new construction, exterior alterations or demolitions within the district.

Currently, owners of buildings listed on the city's Local Register of Historic Places who need a building permit for exterior remodeling ox demolition have to go before the city's

Heritage Preservation Commission, said Tim Acklin, associate city planner. The commission's decision is binding for proposed demolitions, although it can be appealed to the Common Council; and is advisory for remodeling.

Under the draft of the updated Heritage Preservation Plan, plans for new construction, exterior alterations or demolitions within the new local historic district would go before the commission. The commission's decision would be binding, unless overruled by the Common Council.

The draft also calls for tools and programs to help downtown building owners with renovation and new construction.