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Staff, leaders: Keep it alive Central Point explores ways to rejuvenate downtown By SUSAN JAY CENTRAL POINT -- In the era of malls and discount stores, downtowns could easily disappear. But not here, where city staff and community leaders aim to keep Pine Street alive and thriving. A group of a dozen business and property owners met for the first time Wednesday with city planners and architects hired to develop a downtown revitalization plan. Their goal is to "create more of a there there in downtown Central Point," said Dave Early, principal owner of Design, Community and Environment, a Berkeley, Calif., consulting firm. The architects plan four local meetings in the next two months, and hope to see a lot of residents' faces. The next workshop is a walking tour scheduled the afternoon of May 7. For more information, call the city planning department at 664-3321. Participants will walk through downtown with the architects, discussing what downtown is and what it could be. They particularly want to hear people's concerns and ideas. "You all are the experts," Early said -- it's the residents who know how the downtown works and how people use it. At the consultants' second workshop, May 25, they'll present a detailed study on the downtown's opportunities and constraints, and the results of a market economic analysis. Participants will then work in small groups with downtown maps and draw in some of their own ideas. In a third workshop to be scheduled, the consultants will present some alternatives and get feedback, and in the last workshop they'll present their recommendations. Early told the group that it's difficult for traditional downtowns to compete in today's retail environment. But, by using design and marketing concepts, a downtown can develop into a thriving city center. For example, there's the niche retailing concept, which includes focusing on specialty shops like high service florists, hard-to-find books or unique brew pubs. Malls and discount stores don't usually offer these types of products or services. There are several possibilities when it comes to changing the look and feel of Pine Street. More two- and three-story buildings could create an enclosed, intimate feeling, balancing the wide expanse of Pine Street, Early said. A civic plaza around City Hall and more street focus on the elementary school could make Third Street a civic corridor. And new storefront facades, similar to the downtown's turn-of-the-century historic buildings, could create an attractive architectural theme. Early said his firm's report also will include methods the city and business owners can explore to finance the downtown improvements, including state grants. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA