Standing in front of a 12-foot rendering of what Main Street might look like in 2035, Mayor Patricia Williams told a room full of stakeholders and reporters on Tuesday that this was "not a vision document."
"Vision documents collect dust," Williams said. "This is an implementation plan. There is a difference, and we intend to show you what that difference looks like."
The Downtown Revitalization Initiative calls for $50 million in public investment over the next decade, designed to catalyze an estimated $200 million in private development.
WHY NOW
Port Laken's downtown retail vacancy rate has risen from 8% in 2018 to 19% in 2024. Foot traffic in the commercial core drops sharply after 6 PM on weekdays. Aging underground infrastructure has required repeated emergency repairs.
"We have been managing decline with maintenance," said Planning Director Marcus Thompson bluntly. "That is not a strategy. This is a strategy."
MAIN STREET STREETSCAPE
A full reconstruction of Main Street from Harbor Plaza to Elm Street would widen sidewalks from 8 feet to 14 feet, add protected bike lanes, install new LED street lighting, and plant 180 mature street trees.
MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT
The city has identified three underutilized parcels for mixed-use development, targeting approximately 300 housing units across the three sites, with 60 units priced at or below 80% of area median income.
WATERFRONT CONNECTION
A new 1,800-foot pedestrian and bicycle promenade would connect the foot of Main Street to the harbor waterfront. "The waterfront is Port Laken's greatest underused asset," Mayor Williams said.
Full plan and public comment at portlakencity.gov/downtown through February 28.