City has new strategy for downtown

Downtown Carson City... timeless.

This is the theme city redevelopment leaders hope will guide downtown redevelopment for the next 15 years.

"We didn't want a false theme," Redevelopment Chairwoman Robin Williamson said. "We are unique. We're proud of our past and confident of the future. Timeless just sums it up."

The city's Redvelopment Citizens Commitee spent 15 months fashioning a strategic plan for the redevelopment district that will guide its "economic, physical and aesthetic revitialization."

"Our vision is to make downtown Carson City so pleasant, so charming, so harmonious and so captivating that townspeople and visitors will return time and time again," reads the groups vision statement.

The citizen's committee worked with harmony as one of their main ideas, hoping to create links from the past to the future through architecture and social and cultural activities.

When Williamson thinks of how that applies to downtown, she sees murals on buildings, pedestrian walk ways that attract shoppers and visitors to historical and retail sites. She sees people living downtown in new apartments and horse-drawn carriages.

"Doesn't it sound fascinating?" she asked

Idealistic?

"Hey, you never know unless you try," she said.

Williamson and Redevelopment Director Rob Joiner will present the strategic plan to the Board of Supervisors today. Joiner said for years, the city has had to "leverage, cajole and partner" to spur the revitalization of downtown. The plan is aimed at helping define community desires as developers and business people propose projects in the redevelopment district.

As part of a city-wide economic development project, the citizen's committee will work with about 10 new members starting in January for six months to create an operational plan to fill in more specific details on the "intentionally broad and general" ideals laid out in the strategic plan. For example, the strategic plans asks that authorities to create an environment in which historic, animal-drawn transportation is encouraged. The operations team would indicate locations where that would be feesible. If a developer had an idea for a site indicated, the redevelopment authority would suggest the proper animal facilities with the project.

The strategic plan is available for review at City Hall, 201 N. Carson St., the Carson City Library, 900 N. Roop and the Community Development Department, 2621 Northgate Lane, St. 62. It will soon be availalbe online at www.carson-city.nv.us.

If you go:

What: Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting

When: 8:30 a.m., today

Where: the Community Center's Sierra Room, 851 E. William St.