Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Sweet Home is one of eight communities in Linn County selected to receive a full-day assessment of its downtown revitalization efforts.
Continuing from a workshop on downtown revitalization held in Albany last month, this is the next step of a process that may culminate in a yearlong project in conjunction with the Oregon Downtown Development Association and Cascades West Council of Governments, City Manager Craig Martin said.
A group of 13 representatives from Sweet Home Economic Development Group’s downtown revitalization committee, the city, the Chamber of Commerce and other community members, including City Council members Scott McKee Jr., and Bob McIntire attended the workshop.
Following the workshop, which ODDA and the COG put on last month, communities applied for the daylong assessment, and Sweet Home was among those selected.
ODDA and the COG will come to Sweet Home and take a look at Sweet Home’s downtown commercial sector, Martin said. Following the assessment during the day, they will host a meeting to share their assessments and recommendations for improving downtown revitalization efforts.
The assessment is tentatively scheduled for January – either the 17th or the 29th, Martin said.
From past experience, Martin said, he expects they’ll look at the community, demographics, the existing mix of businesses and the potential of attracting customers from inside and outside the Sweet Home community. They will likely offer suggestions regarding what assets Sweet Home has, or needs, to ensure success in the commercial sector.
Martin said he tries to advocate also including the concentration of businesses in the Foster end of town in such studies and assessments.
After the assessment, ODDA and the COG will select four communities for a one-year pilot program, he said. That requires a $1,500 fee. ODDA and COG will work with the community, providing technical assistance and support.
Martin hopes that it will be aimed at implementing whatever recommendations come out of the assessment “to try to get some tangible accomplishments” rather than a plan that just sits, Martin said. “I think this approach has potential for much more impact (than similar projects in the past) because of the way it’s being delivered.”
It requires broad-based support from groups and people in the community, he said, and it can work “as long as we don’t get bogged down in what color the stores should be.”
SHEDG and the chamber are both committed to this process, Martin said, and the city is committed to supporting the effort.
“We believe we’ve got a fair amount of interest in the downtown area,” he said, and he would like to see interest elsewhere in Sweet Home to help build a more vibrant community.
According to Enterprise Development Initiative information, teams working with ODDA and the COG will evaluate needs and establish a local action plan and implement top-priority barrier removal and assistance strategies. They will provide outreach to prospective and existing businesses and participate in a regional network.
During the process, they also will test a local business development effort using “an enterprise development” approach, building an entrepreneurial climate that cele-brates local businesses, provides clear linkages with the business support network, identifies potential entrepreneurs and helps develop clusters of businesses.