Press Release
For Immediate Release February 24, 2007
For more information contact: Ellensburg Downtown Association 509-962-6246 info@ellensburgdowntown.org

The Ellensburg Downtown Association to host State of Downtown meeting Thursday March 1st from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 119 E 4th ,

 “The last 6 months has been a very busy period for the Ellensburg Downtown Association and in addition to rolling out some new projects like the monthly Downtown Section in the Daily Record and launching the Brown Bag Business Basics series, we’ve been doing a lot of internal organizational restructuring to make sure that we’re ready to deal with the challenges ahead” according to Ellensburg Downtown Association  President Gary Jones.

The Association chose to hold the meeting at the former Button’s location because “This corner is a key focal point of our downtown and more than any other intersection in downtown demonstrates the challenges we are facing.” According to Ellensburg Downtown Association Executive Director Timothy Bishop, adding, “It also demonstrates the transition that is occurring, with three of the buildings on this corner having recently come under new ownership and plans underway for their redevelopment.”

The association has been working with downtown businesses and property owners to determine what impact the passage of the City’s new comprehensive plan will have on Downtown and identify the best strategies to help mitigate that impact and ensure Downtown’s revitalization.

“There’s a lot of concern about Downtown’s future, especially now with the proposed comp plan allowing for regional retail at both the South and West interchanges, and this is an opportunity for us to let the community know what we’re working on and some of the tools that we’re looking at to help mitigate that impact and keep our downtown vibrant.” According to Gary Jones.

Bishop added “We know that there are some big challenges ahead of us as we look at trying to revitalize Downtown with the potential of nearly 700 acres on the edges of town being rezoned for regional retail development, and we’ve spent a lot of the last year building the organizational framework and capacity to meet those challenges.” “We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us but we know that the community wants Downtown to succeed, and we believe that using by the comprehensive Main Street Approach as a structural model for our efforts, and creating the right tools and incentives, that we can be successful in our efforts to revitalize downtown.”

The meeting is free and open to the public. Representatives from the Ellensburg Downtown Association’s Board of Directors and staff will be on hand to answer questions and discuss citizen concerns.

For more information contact the Ellensburg Downtown Association at www.ellensburgdowntown.org or by phone at 509-962-6246. Individuals can also make a tax deductible donation to support the association’s revitalization efforts at www.savedowntown.org