MAIN STREET ON THE MOVE; CAPE TAKES CLOSER LOOK AT REVITALIZATION OF PADUCAH'S DOWNTWON

Revitalizing a downtown business district takes people, not just dollars, says Marilyn Cassity: People to invest in businesses and infrastructure, people to shop downtown, people to live downtown and people willing to cooperate in a unique mix of historic preservation and economic development.

Cassity should know: As director of Paducah's Main Street program, she has watched Paducah's downtown swing from bust to boom in the span of about nine years.

"It was an organized effort to revitalize the downtown, bringing together all kinds of interests, from the property owners, city government, county government, state government, concerned citizens, so that when you combine the effort you make great strides forward," she said.

Main Street is a four-step national economic development program geared toward revitalizing downtown business districts. It is run by a private, not-for-profit group based in Washington, D.C., and provides technical assistance to member communities.

In Cape Girardeau, efforts are under way to organize a Main Street program to spur continued economic growth.

Judith Ann Lang, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, said funding is being sought for an evaluation of the downtown area to determine how the area could best be developed.

"It eventually will give us a plan as to what we have, what we could work towards, and their suggestions, and it would be something that we could present to different groups" to help attract investors, said Lang.

The merchants association has agreed to pay a fourth of the cost of the study, which hasn't yet been determined, she said.

Greg Williams, director of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association, said downtown Cape Girardeau has seen some revitalization in recent years with infrastructure improvements, the construction of Riverfront Park and work by merchants to install awnings and other design features.

"Our thought has always been that we need to take it to the next level, and the next level is a full-blown Main Street program," he said.

The assessment will determine whether establishing a Main Street program here is "feasible or advisable," he said.

For the assessment, organizers can use historic preservation resources that include a survey of the city now being conducted, Williams said.

Funding is not directly provided by the national Main Street organization but by public and private investment in revitalization efforts.

Lang said supporters of the Main Street initiative want to see more people running businesses, living and shopping downtown.

"We would like to see the downtown become the hub of activity once again," she said. "We've come a long way since the days when the mall first opened, and the pendulum is swinging back the other way."

Establishing a Main Street program would provide a centralized effort to attract retail development and investment in the area, Lang said.

"The downtown doesn't just belong to the downtown merchants or the downtown residents," she said. "For all practical purposes, the downtown is the town's mall."

Unlike a shopping mall, though, most downtowns don't have a single manager to oversee details like garbage pickup or getting vacant stores filled, Lang said.

But a Main Street coordinator could fill that role, she said. A full-time director would be needed, and she estimates the cost of operating the program at $50,000 annually.

Turning downtown into a retail hub would help the whole city by generating additional tax revenue, Lang said.

Renovating existing buildings would be part of the strategy for redevelopment, she said.

"We have a beautiful riverfront. Our main Street, especially with the brick walks and the clock, is very attractive," Lang said.

But Broadway could use a little work, she said, and so could other sections of downtown Cape Girardeau.

It will take more than a coat of paint, though, to bring dollars back into downtown, Lang said.

"You don't want to just be pretty. Beauty is only skin deep. You want the vitality of a working downtown. You want the stores, the entertainment, the dining," she said. "Those are the things that have come up that we've talked about."

Lang said she'd like to see specialty retailers such as Victoria's Secret or a Bass Pro Shop locate downtown, along with deli-type restaurants where tourists and people who work downtown can grab a quick meal.

In addition, there are always inquiries from people looking for rental residential property -- especially with a view of the Mississippi River.

"Most of these older buildings down here do have upper floors. A lot of them are just wasted space or storage space," Lang said.

Residential development is crucial to revitalizing downtown districts, said Cassity, because the aim of the Main Street program is to create a downtown community, not just a place for people to shop.

And when people live downtown, businesses offering necessary services -- grocery stores, pharmacies -- will open to meet the demand.

When those businesses open to serve downtown residents, they will also attract shoppers who live in other parts of the city.

"Our goal in Paducah was not only to revitalize the downtown and bring business downtown but also people to live in downtown. That's where we've been on the cutting edge," Cassity said.

In Paducah, 22 luxury apartments have been developed since the Main Street program began in 1989, she said. Monthly rentals range from about $400 to $1,200.

Outside the downtown area, rents in Paducah range from an average of $440 to $500 a month, Cassity said.

"What makes it unique is when you bring people back downtown, you create a community," she said. "That's how Paducah began. That's how all towns began."

Most riverfront business districts are filled with two-story or higher mercantile buildings, Cassity said. In the old days, the store was downstairs, and the merchant and his family lived on the second floor.

"As they became more affluent, they probably moved out to a historic neighborhood or whatever, and used the second floor for storage," she said.

Turning those upstairs storage spaces into living quarters ensures property owners more bang for their bucks: They can make money on the retail development downstairs and collect rent on the apartments upstairs, Cassity said.

In Paducah, two loan programs have been organized by Main Street and local banks for downtown property owners.

The downtown enrichment program offers a $1.5 million pool strictly for downtown revitalization.

The long-term, low-interest loans are awarded on the basis of the project cost, not the property's assessed valuation. Maximum loan amount available is $350,000 for a single project.

There is also a revolving loan fund for renovating and rehabbing the facades of downtown buildings, Cassity said.

"We'd like to put more incentives together," she said. "Whatever it takes, we want this to be the most attractive place for an investor."

Since Main Street was established in Paducah, more than $30 million has been invested in the downtown area through private investment and government grants, Cassity said.

"For every dollar that's spent in government money, we probably leverage $68, and we do that through volunteers, through incentives and through other initiatives," she said.

MAIN STREET'S FOUR STEPS TO SUCCESS

Organization. The Main Street program is administered by a single entity dedicated to revitalizing the downtown district.

Promotion. Working to foster a positive image through events, promotions and festivals.

Design. Improving the district's physical appearance and concentrating on restoration and preservation of historic properties.

Economic restructuring. A systematic process of determining what mix of business/residential entities will work.