Ambitious ideas for Cape draw positive responses at DREAM meeting

There are a lot of things to like in the strategic plan developed as part of Cape Girardeau's participation in the DREAM Initiative, a group of about 100 people who took part in an open house Tuesday decided.

Ambitious ideas like a 100-room hotel on Broadway, an amphitheater and river aquarium near the Mississippi River and an artists village along the extended Fountain Street received a lot of attention. So did basic improvements, like a taxing district that could encompass the entire Old Town Cape area and streetscaping Broadway to make it more attractive.

But the turnout and enthusiasm for the plan was the most gratifying part of the event, said the organizers of Tuesday's meeting at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus.

"We are thrilled with the turnout because we didn't know what to expect," said Steve Hoffman, professor of history and representative of Old Town Cape on the DREAM steering committee. "Everyone was on task, and they were excited about the projects."

Cape Girardeau was designated as a participating city in the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri, or DREAM, Initiative in late 2006 by Gov. Matt Blunt. The initiative brought the city a priority slot for the distribution of economic development funds and grants as well as $300,000 for a strategic plan.

As he presented a draft of that plan Tuesday, Russ Volmert, associate director of planning firm Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, said the key elements are priority goals, which can give the city a checklist for accomplishing the plan. For example, one priority goal is to develop a riverfront park plan. That could include the amphitheater and other improvements that would connect the city with the river.

"For a town that has its heritage based on the river, the riverfront is OK but it could be better, you betcha," Volmert said.

In some surveys conducted to guide the strategic plan, he noted, the river is called dangerous, muddy and smelly. "But every time we visited, we saw people down there," Volmert said.

After an initial presentation, the audience broke into small groups to decide what they did and didn't like. A university village of shops along Broadway, as well as the major hotel, were listed by more than one group as a favorite idea, but other ideas also received nods. Developing Broadway, creating a Community Improvement District to generate tax money for improvements and streetscaping all were listed as top priorities.

"If you are going to do anything, Broadway has to be cleaned up," said Paul Giebler, a longtime Cape Girardeau resident, during discussions at his table.

"If you don't develop a streetscape, the developers won't want to make any investment," agreed Terri Foley, a historic preservation consultant.

The Community Improvement District would be one of the first steps to implementing a plan, said Tim Arbeiter, vice president of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and another member of the steering group. The district can impose property taxes and sales taxes if a majority of property owners in the district agree.

That will provide money for a variety of needs, including a revolving loan fund to help building owners improve the facades of their buildings, for signs to create a sense of place and other measures to make lagging areas more attractive, he said.

The plan is big, Arbeiter acknowledged. "Yes, the plans are ambitious, but they are within reach."

The draft strategic plan will now undergo more work before being presented as a final proposal later this year.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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Cape Girardeau, MO