Waynesboro Downtown Revitalization Plan€¦ · This Downtown Revitalization Plan is simply the next step in the effort, and will build on the plans completed and work done in recent

Waynesboro Downtown Revitalization Plan

Introduction 1.

1 Waynesboro Downtown n Revitalization Plan

1.1 Project Area and Goals of This Plan

The project area considered in this Downtown Revitalization Plan is comprised of the core of Downtown Waynesboro. Included are the frontages along Main Street from Maple to the River; Wayne Avenue between Broad and Federal; and Arch Avenue from 11th to Broad. Constitution Park and the riverfront, including the two Downtown bridges at Broad and at Main, are also included. The project area encompasses the Downtown Historic District and the commercial core of the City.

The goals of this plan are two-fold. The first is to acknowledge the many downtown revitalization initiatives to date and the second is to chart a course for the future. The intention is to provide a framework for an application for a Community Development Block Grant, but the plan offers the opportunity for more. Revitalization is an ongoing process and the City of Waynesboro over the last ten to fifteen years has made steady progress in their efforts for downtown. However, the burst of development adjacent to I-64 over the same period has overshadowed the progress made downtown and many think downtown is dead or dying.

Creating this plan has shown otherwise. Attendance and participation at the Downtown workshop, community meeting, and the branding focus group meeting were large and enthusiastic. Clearly the core community is committed to the continued progress being made in downtown and, if anything, is ready to support continued improvements and is anxious to see visible progress.

View of Main Street in Waynesboro looking east toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Wayne Theatre can be seen on the left.

View looking north at the bank of the South River between Main Street and Broad Street.

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1.2 Revitalization Accomplishments in Downtown Waynesboro

So what has been accomplished over the last fifteen years in the revitalization of downtown Waynesboro? Key milestones include:

October 1999: VDDA TAT Downtown Evaluation■n

1999-2000: Waynesboro receives TEA-21 grant for downtown streetscape ■n

improvements.

2000: Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc. is formed.■n

2000: Waynesboro becomes a Virginia Main Street Community.■n

2000: City completes a Physical Improvement Master Plan ■n

for Downtown.

2001: Downtown is listed as a National Register Historic District, giving ■n

property owners access to historic tax credits for rehabilitating their properties.

2006: LB&B building is rehabilitated. ■n

2006: Wayne Theater project begins.■n

2006: Heritage Museum building rehabilitation is completed with six ■n

market rate apartments.

2006: The Shenandoah Valley Arts Center building is rehabilitated ■n

and opened.

2007: Phase One streetscape improvements are completed.■n

Upcoming Funded and Potential Catalyst Projects Impacting Downtown

A number of projects are underway or in the planning stages with the potential to impact Downtown, either in terms of appearance or for bringing visitors and jobs. These catalyst projects provide a strong context for the revitalization of Downtown:

Wayne Theater Completion■n

Streetscape Phase II■n

Mill at South River■n

Greenway Multi-Use Trail■n

Kroger Development Plan■n

Broad Street Bridge Replacement■n

Main Street Bridge■n

Fishburne Junior College■n

Center for Coldwater Restoration Project■n

Phase One streetscape improvements completed on Main Street include sidewalks and lighting.

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Building Vitality Downtown!

Introduction 1


Shenandoah Valley Art Center completed in 2007, right. Before picture, above, shows deteriorated condition of building before rehabiliation. Historic tax credits were used for both the Heritage Museum, below, and the Art Center.

The Wayne Theater rehabilitation project,

right, was begun in 2006.

The Heritage Museum building, right, completed in 2006, includes market rate apartments, below, on the second floor

with the museum on the first floor.

Introduction1


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View of the downtown study area showing the proposed CDBG boundary area within the overall downtown area.

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1.3 2015 Vision for Downtown Waynesboro

Every revitalization effort periodically requires a reexamination and refocusing of goals and direction. Downtown Waynesboro, with the assistance of the Waynesboro Housing Authority and the City, has been undergoing this process over the last year. Involving more than 75 members of the community, the Vision for downtown has been updated and refreshed. In short the vision is:

Downtown is a vibrant 24-hour Riverfront community where people live, work and play. The future for downtown will be a regional destination for visitors seeking unique experiences in the arts &culture, niche shopping, quality dining and entertainment. The Downtown will be a recreation friendly environment, featuring bike trails, greenways, access to the river and a gateway to mountain tourism.

Specific assets that can be used to build this vision on are:

The RIVER!!■n

Recreation, trails, Blue Ridge Parkway■n

Historic District and unique structures ■n

Heritage Museum■n

Success of Local Festivals (over 45,000 visitors ■n

last year)

Location: Proximity to I-64 & I-81, Charlottesville, ■n

Staunton

The Wayne Theatre■n

Shenandoah Valley Arts Center■n

Town Center shopping development■n

Land for development is available Downtown■n

GREAT VIEWS from Downtown■n

Tourism in the Valley■n

Farmer’s Market■n

Downtown bike paths & Greenway (in the budget)■n

Crozet Tunnel (future attraction)■n

Fishburne Military Academy■n

This vision is coupled with a challenge for the entire community: “The challenge to create a new economy and reinvent our industrial base to match 21st century demands lies with us, here and now. It will take a committed community who takes a serious view towards creating the legacy that will fuel our city for the next 100 years.”

This Downtown Revitalization Plan is simply the next step in the effort, and will build on the plans completed and work done in recent years.

The Fall Foliage Festival is held Downtown and in the Park.

The South River is a popular destination for fishing.

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1.4 2010 Economic Plan

In addition to the Vision Study, the City completed an Economic Plan in 2010. The goal identified in this process was for Downtown Waynesboro to employ a multi-faceted, strategic approach toward economic restructuring. Actions include:

Making the downtown a more desirable place for residential living. ■n

Recruiting of key niche business uses. ■n

Developing a marketing brand for downtown. ■n

Focusing on marketing to local trade areas.■n

Developing more diverse entertainment uses, including live music ■n

destinations and nightlife venues.

Linking with adventure tourism, river and resource-related activities. ■n

1.5 Core Goals for the Downtown Revitalization Plan

Out of the Vision Plan and the Economic Assessment, goals for this Downtown Revitalization Physical Plan were established as follows:

Develop a more unified and appealing physical environment, making ■n

downtown a stronger destination for residents and visitors.

Develop stronger connections between the South River/Constitution Park ■n

and the downtown business district.

Identify Steps to remove blight and reduce downtown vacancy rate.■n

Develop synergies and capitalize on the identified Catalyst Projects.■n

Sustain community momentum for creating a more welcoming downtown ■n

with attention to gateways, wayfinding and visitor services.

An

ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT REPORT

For

Downtown Waynesboro, VA

Jointly Prepared By

Waynesboro Redevelopment & Housing Authority:

Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc.

City of Waynesboro Planning Department

June 30, 2010

A Vision for the Future …. Downtown Waynesboro

Prepared for The City of Waynesboro, Virginia

January 24, 2010 The Clay Christensen Group LLC

. . .Productive Meetings with Real Results Richmond, Virginia 804-677-4508 [email protected]

The 2010 Vision Study and Economic Assessment provide the foundation for this revitalization plan.

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The catalyst projects underway and in the planning stages provide strong anchors for revitalization.

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1.6 The Planning Process

This plan was created using several methods of information gathering in order to ensure that recommendations clearly reflect the desires of the community as they envision the future of downtown Waynesboro.

Review of all recent prior studies and initiatives, particularly the most recent Vision Plan and Economic plan were essential, as referenced earlier. In addition, many other plans were reviewed including the Greenway, various downtown property improvement plans, and the streetscape plan from 2000, among others. Additional information gathering also included the following meetings.

View of Main Street looking east toward the Blue Ridge.

Sketch developed during Community Charrette showing impact of added trees on Main Street.

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1.6.1 Meetings and Information Gathering

Stakeholder Groups – October 20, 2010 ■n

One-hour meetings were held with three different key downtown stakeholder groups. These meetings included the Downtown Project Team, the downtown cultural river/recreation groups and downtown property owners/business owners and realtors. During these meetings, the findings of the Vision Plan and Economic plans were reviewed as well as the goals of this plan. Participants completed a questionnaire and results are summarized later in the report.

Community Charrette – October 25-26, 2010 ■n

Following the Stakeholder Group meetings, a two-day open house was held on Main Street where the community was invited to stop by and give input. During this time, meetings with property owners were held in order to prepare drawings for façade improvements and make recommendations, where feasible, for interior improvements. All facades in the project area were evaluated for condition and for needed improvements, and several buildings were toured by the design team. Observations and recommendations are found later in the report. Streetscape and river front ideas were explored by the design team with the public during this period as well. A presentation was made to the public on the evening of October 26 and approximately 60 people attended.

Branding Focus Group January 12, 2011 ■n

Responding to the comments on the current brand and logo from the stakeholder focus groups and community charrette, the design team generated several options to update the downtown logo in the short term. These options were presented to the focus group for input and feedback. Developed options are included in the branding section of this report. Further design and refinement will be needed and it is intended that the information gathered in this project will aid in that future effort.

Evening presentation after the Community Charrette

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1.6.2 Questionnaire Responses

As a part of the Stakeholder Meetings and Community Charrette, a questionnaire was distributed to further understand what was outlined in many of the recent studies. The findings are summarized below.

1. Looking at the project area, what is the greatest potential of downtown Waynesboro?

Like the responses in the Visioning session, participants were very enthusiastic about the potential of the riverfront, even with its flooding problems. Downtown Waynesboro already has a strong arts culture and with the addition of the Wayne Theater, it will have an even stronger identity as an arts and culture district with niche retail.

2. You have friends coming to visit who have never been to Waynesboro or the Shenandoah Valley. What five things would you think of to do with them? Are any of these activities in downtown Waynesboro?

The chart shows the strong connection the Waynesboro community has to the outdoors not only within the city limits but also the surrounding area. This characteristic distinguishes Waynesboro from surrounding communities and gives the City a unique focus as it markets itself.

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3. Looking at what was identified in the Vision plan and the Economic plan, what are the three most important physical improvements that the Community Development Block Grant could focus on in the designated project area?

4. If you could wave a magic wand and make one to three things magically happen to the physical appearance, function or design of downtown Waynesboro, what would they be?

In the answers to questions 3 and 4, clearly, the community is very excited to see better use and engagement of the river, as well as improved building appearance. While not as strong a showing in the written questionnaires, a sentiment heard over and over again in the community meetings and focus groups was the need to finish the downtown streetscape improvements.

Question 5 related to the current Waynesboro brand and logo and answers are included later in the branding section of this report.

Documents

Waynesboro Downtown Revitalization Plan€¦ · This Downtown Revitalization Plan is simply the next step in the effort, and will build on the plans completed and work done in recent