Title
Olympia Downtown Alliance Update
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive an update on the Olympia Downtown Alliance.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive an update on the Olympia Downtown Alliance.
Staff Contact:
Mike Reid, Economic Development Director, Office of Community Vitality, 360.753.8591
Presenter(s):
Mike Reid, Economic Development Director
Todd Cutts, Executive Director, Olympia Downtown Alliance
Background and Analysis:
On September 26, 2023, the City Council authorized the City Manager to Sign a Petition in Support of a Proposal to Form a Downtown Improvement District. This district would have provided additional funding to the downtown to address objectives associated with efforts around to clean and safe programming, promotions and special projects in the downtown. The effort required a petition to be signed by property owners reflecting 60% of properties downtown. Unfortunately, the petition drive was unable to achieve the 60% required threshold.
Todd Cutts will provide an update concerning the DID effort as well highlighting continued Olympia Downtown Alliance programming aimed at making downtown a vibrant business district. Some of the efforts to be highlighted are the LoveOly marketing campaign, expanded Downtown Guide efforts, graffiti abatement program, LoveOly Summerfest, and the "vacant storefront pop-up program".
Additional discussion to include data showing the recovery of foot traffic activity post pandemic.
Climate Analysis:
One of the community wide action items identified in the Transportation and Land Use Focus area of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan is: T1.13 - Downtown Development Work with developers and investors to identify barriers to new investment and reinvestment projects of residential and commercial in urban centers. Then develop and implement policy changes and incentive programs in response.
Developers and builders often cite the sa...
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