City of Le Sueur DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN

City of Le Sueur DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN City Council Update 9/11/2017 Hoisington Koegler Group Inc.

Presentation Agenda 01 Schedule Update / Tonight s Objectives 02 What We ve Heard - Engagement Comments on Broader Downtown Strategies Comments on Redevelopment Approach(s) for Valley Green Square Mall Site 03 Next Steps / Discussion / Questions

01 PROJECT OVERVIEW

Schedule

Core Meeting Objectives Summary of community engagement feedback from Open House #2 Broader strategies for downtown revitalization Preferred direction for Valley Green Square Mall site Discussion / Questions Guide next steps in the planning process

02 WHAT WE VE HEARD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

Engagement Summary August 10 th Open House + Second Online Questionnaire 277 Responses Feedback on four mall redevelopment concepts Feedback on downtown strategies

02 DOWNTOWN STRATEGIES

Creative/Makers

Creative/Makers Interest There isn t an anchor town in our regional area that is already doing this. Having a creative scene brings in outside money. Would be great to have a place for small businesses run by local people to set up shop & showcase their goods. Capitalize on our history. Options for shared office space would be great, especially for people who live out of town and bring kids into Le Sueur. Concerns I wonder if individuals would generate enough income to rent their space? I brought my shop to Henderson- there is not enough initial traffic or interest to succeed here. Lame and boring. Nobody cares about canning anymore.

Heritage/Food/Agriculture Chef Shack Bay City WI Farmhouse Market New Prague Montgomery Brewing

Heritage/Food/Agriculture Interest People travel for miles to visit micro breweries and wineries. Destination food + alcohol does draw people. Desire for more diverse dining options Have to go out of town for Co-op/ Trader Joes/ Farmer s Market goods Concerns St. Peter already has a lot of these. Focus on something unique to Le Sueur. Needs to be promoted by Chamber and other entities to encourage usage and attendance. Use Sasse Sweet Corn as a model. Expanded farmer s market and restaurants

Outdoor/River/Trail

Outdoor/River/Trail Interest Linking downtown to the river and having a family friendly river park would be a great amenity. A river trail would help capitalize on Le Sueur s most underutilized resource. The streets and sidewalks are so tough to walk/run on. Need improvements. Walkability is important, especially as the population ages. Promote nearby adventure amenities: kayaking and tubing, recreational flying, golf course, scenic byway, shooting range and hunting preserve, zip line, single track at seven-mile. Concerns Focus should be on getting these items downtown, not spread out all over the city. Need businesses to support the trails, or people will only pass through (a decent restaurant and lodging) but starting with businesses like River Valley Kayaks Getting people safely across the railroad tracks and bridge is a concern.

Festival Street/Events River Street Batavia, IL

Festival Street/Events Interest Reopening Main Street will begin to reconnect the community and having events will bring people together. Love the expanded Market Fest idea Open up dead space and allow traffic to flow more naturally. Do not allow truck traffic Unify downtown facades and incorporate gathering spaces along Main Street More green space Concerns We already have a festival street - it s called the pedestrian mall currently. The problem isn t the space, it s that our community doesn t find these small oneday, one-weekend festivals worth attending locally. Not sure Le Sueurians are festival and event people- see the mediocre success of MarketFest. Back burner this concept until there s an established business turnaround and new development to piggyback off of.

Business Development Interest Need the right infrastructure in place to make development easy and business friendly. Supporting business development will make the other initiatives sustainable. If these ideas and concepts were cultivated, the other initiatives would be more feasible. Wow, partnership with schools would give kids a wonderful insight to running a business. Concerns The school part of this initiative is not essential and should be made a last priority. Chamber of Commerce needs to play a major role. Mall would need a complete makeover to make businesses stand out. There is no point in building new if business development isn t going to be a priority.

Destination Downtown Interest Aesthetic improvements are desperately needed The key is to make this a place people will want to go. Destination Downtown and Business Development need to be planned, coordinated, and implemented as one initiative. Concerns I would put doing something about the mall at a high priority, but giving downtown a Destination feel as low. Need to build the foundation first before the roof. Not convinced housing downtown is essential, but once downtown is a desirable destination, then it may be. Re-opening Main Street and activating it is essential.

Parks & Recreation Interest Draw the river into the town s identity. Activities like tournaments and the great Community Center bring people into town- need to do a better job promoting activities, and then need something to keep people in town (more food options) Improve trail network by connecting downtown to draws like the Community Center Concerns Would bring less money into the community than other investment options presented (hold off) Find ways to invest in what we already have. Open up parking on Main and turn parking lot along river into green space

Connectivity Interest Themed signage, especially around downtown and on 169 would help make Le Sueur a destination. Designate a preferred route that keeps most trucks out of downtown (otherwise it won t feel friendly to tourists/residents). Concerns Most trucks have a downtown business as their destination. Don t clutter otherwise quiet streets with truck traffic. Connect downtown to the river People need safe ways to cross the RR and the bridge. Work with trail plan.

Preferred Downtown Strategies Creative + Makers Festival Street + Public Events Parks & Recreation Cultural Heritage/ Food/ Agriculture Destination Downtown Connectivity Outdoor Recreation/ River/ Trails Business Development

General Recurring Comments Need a more vibrant downtown that people want to come to and spend time and money in (for both those that live in, and visit downtown) Downtown properties (private) and roads/streetscapes (public) need major updates and people to care for them Bring the sense of pride back to downtown Le Sueur. Reconnect the community to downtown Main Street connection (physical) and green spaces/ gathering spaces and activities/ experiences (community) Need more diverse food options, including grocery and restaurants Le Sueur needs events and activities for all age groups, and not just based around alcohol. Truck traffic has negative impacts on the quality of surrounding roads and visitor experience. Want something unique, that other adjacent towns don t already have. Many of the downtown strategies are interconnected and cannot be pursued independently with much success- need to use a multi-pronged approach.

02 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT - VALLEY GREEN SQUARE MALL REDEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS

Façade Upgrades/Facelift Maintain pedestrian mall Improved facades on mall More windows Enhance entries Embrace street Enhance parking lot Improve signage Explore re-programming of portion of mall for public use Response: Why upgrade a space that already doesn t work?

Partial Demolition Reopen Main Street Basic streetscape Angled parking Truck traffic allowed Reduce mall square footage Enhance facades Retain ex. tenants Response: Too expensive for little return. If you re going to invest, do it properly the first time.

Partial Demolition + Housing Reopen Main Street Re-routed truck traffic Enhanced streetscape Angled parking Potential for festival street Partial demolition of mall Relocate level 2 uses and develop as residential Convert basement to parking for residential Response: Mixed interest with concern about housing above a mall.

Full Redevelopment Reopen Main Street Basic streetscape Parallel parking on both sides Demolish mall and relocate existing businesses to new buildings along Bridge & Ferry Streets Commercial/Retail along new Main Street connections Retail/ Service along Bridge and Ferry Streets Potential for residential on 2 nd floor Response: Predominately considered the best option, concern over relocation

Mall Redevelopment Approaches Keep Existing- Refresh facade Partial Demolition- Reconnect Main Street, including truck traffic Partial Demolition + Housing- Reconnect Main Street, no trucks Full Redevelopment + Housing- Reconnect Main Street, no trucks

03 NEXT STEPS/ DISCUSSION/ QUESTIONS

Next Steps Finalize Broader Downtown Improvement Strategies Identify Priorities, Locations, Estimated Costs etc. Finalize Redevelopment Framework for VGS Mall site based on feedback Design Principles for future redevelopment Consider relocation strategies Implementation Identify Priorities, Timing, Responsible Parties, Costs, etc. Identify Financial Tools Final Public Open House (9/21/2017) Compile Findings into Final Plan (Sept./Oct.) Review and Seek Approvals (Oct./Nov.)

Thank you! Discussion / Questions?