Quincy downtown plan public hearing rescheduled for June 21

QUINCY — Quincy residents will be asked for their opinions of the proposed downtown revitalization plan at a public hearing during the regular Quincy City Council meeting June 21. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

A copy of the draft plan is available on the city’s website, www.quincywashington.us.

The hearing was originally scheduled for May 17, but the planning commission lacked a quorum at its last meeting and couldn’t review the proposal, municipal services director Carl Worley said

The plan, written by SCJ Alliance, Wenatchee, focuses on four blocks between Highway 28 and South Division Street, from First Avenue Southeast to First Avenue Southwest, and the block between First Avenue Southeast and Second Avenue Southeast. The plan includes recommendations for actions city officials and business owners can take to improve downtown, but there’s no timeline attached.

The planners proposed four revitalization goals:

• Business owners and city officials should work to enhance downtown’s visual appeal, with updated facades and properly maintained landscape.

• Downtown should be a gathering place for residents and visitors alike, and efforts should be made to support businesses already in the area and as well as attracting new ones.

• Downtown should be adaptable as parking and traffic patterns change.

• Downtown should have more public amenities such as event spaces.

The project included a study of the current state of the downtown area, and the consultants said it’s not very visible to people coming through town on Highway 28. Business owners might be missing out on potential customers since travelers stopping at the light on Highway 28 may not even realize the business district is across the intersection.

The planners recommended upgrading the streetscape at the Highway 28 intersection, making downtown more visible. City officials should pave and formalize existing alleys and parking lots, fix and replace sidewalks and curbs as necessary, and add bulbouts and upgraded crosswalks where needed.

Central Street South is used by a lot of drivers, including trucks accessing highways 28 and 281. The planners recommended finding ways to reroute trucks away from the downtown area.

The plan also recommends addressing parking issues downtown.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.