Management Team Meeting

Management Team Meeting

Stanardsville Downtown Revitalization Project

February 1, 2016, 7:00 p.m.

Stanardsville Town Hall

Craig Wilson confirmed that Minutes of the January 4th meeting had been distributed by email and subsequently amended as recommended.

He briefly discussed the required public hearings scheduled for February 8th and March 14th, noting that the first will be devoted to explaining the parameters of the CDBG program and will give the public an opportunity to comment on other community needs, while the second will describe the specific project activities that have been agreed upon. The Town Council will adopt a budget for the grant project at its March 14th meeting that will lock in the elements of the grant proposal.

Façade Improvement Program

Craig stated that an outline describing the Façade Improvement Program and Preliminary Commitment Letters have been distributed to property owners. A meeting is scheduled on February 9th to give owners an opportunity to ask questions about the program.

Roy Dye confirmed that those documents, with a cover letter from Mayor Gary Lowe, had been hand-delivered to several property owners in town on January 29, and mailed to others on that date. Twelve owners have been contacted and inquiries are being made about contacting the new owners of two vacant buildings that have recently been sold.

Craig emphasized that it is important to show broad participation among property owners when the grant proposal is submitted. He mentioned that the architect, David Hill, will do renderings of possible façade improvements for the apartment building at the corner of Celt Ave. and for the brick building on Willow Lane to show DHCD the kind of dramatic exterior improvements that could be made under the Façade Improvement Program.

Re-thinking Two-Location Scenario for Public Improvements

Craig raised the question of whether it was the best idea to target the parking lot site next to the Record office as one of two possible locations for a farmers’ market structure, as previously agreed at the January meeting, noting that there have been subsequent discussions among several members of the Management Team who expressed the view that it could be a good site for new retail shops if the economy improves. The thought was that it would be preferable to reserve the parking lot site as a location for new businesses on Main Street since there are few existing buildings downtown that could serve that purpose.

He added that it would be better to have one venue for a farmers’ market / pavilion structure that is used frequently, rather than two venues that are used less often. Craig also noted that there is a strong possibility that JABA or another entity may purchase the land behind that parking lot site for a senior housing facility, as was previously proposed.

So the conclusion of that discussion was that the county site alone was preferable for construction of a farmers’ market / performance pavilion structure. Craig added that since it is government property, it would not be available for future retail use.

Carl Schmitt and Ron Morris both agreed that we should focus on the county site as the best location for a combined town market / band shell. It was suggested that the structure be designed as a multi-use building, with additional components added on as funds and resources allow.

Craig said we should think of this proposed construction project as Phase I and that the Town could do something else for new businesses in the parking lot site as Phase II.

Darla Rose asked about the boundaries of a Project Area for the grant proposal, and specifically whether it was permissible to go beyond the Town’s boundaries to include the county site.

Craig said the boundaries of the Project Area are still flexible at this point and don’t need to be finalized until March 14th. He added that it is okay to go beyond the Town boundaries, but we need buy-in from the county to do so. We would need to include in the grant application strong language from the Board of Supervisors saying they support the proposed building project, which would become a joint Town & County property.

Gary Lowe noted that the county cooperated with the Town on the original streetscape project which included crosswalks in the county, and that the current Phase II project also will extend the Main Street sidewalks across Town lines into the county.

Architect David Hill presented drawings for the county site of an outdoor band shell located near the creek and close to Rte. 33, and a separate farmers’ market structure, with bathrooms, adjacent to the county parking lot.

In the discussion that ensued, some raised concerns that the performance stage was too close to the road and thus traffic noise, and that a farmers/ market structure should be more like a pavilion to provide cover in inclement weather. It was suggested that the stage should be repositioned down closer to the parking lot, adjacent to or attached to a pavilion structure, such that it could face either the natural amphitheater formed by the grass slope or toward the pavilion if there is a smaller crowd and shelter is needed.

Carl suggested that public bathrooms should be located closer to Celt Rd, where they would be more accessible to pedestrians in the downtown area, rather than be hidden behind the Administration building. Steve Borders added that bathrooms could be built as an addition to the county building on the north side opposite the existing bathrooms. As such, there would be a better chance that county employees would maintain them.

Don Pamenter expressed concerns that locating the pavilion structure close to the parking lot would not present a visible focal point for welcoming folks to Town.

Alan Yost agreed that we should have an attractive building that is closer to the line of sight of vehicles traveling on Rte. 33. He mentioned the performance pavilion in the town of Floyd as an example.

Janet Call asked what aesthetically would be happening in the grass area and along the creek bed if the structure were located further south from Main St.

Craig and others said the overgrown vegetation along the creek would need to be removed, and that the area could be attractively landscaped to create a park-like setting, thus transforming the entire area and making it more of a focal point. The concept drawing includes a row of trees planted along Rte. 33 to help muffle traffic noise.

David said the performance stage itself would be a large structure, typically about 40-feet square, or larger, which would be readily visible from the street.

Craig pointed out that for this grant proposal, we need to have a site ready to be used, with drawings depicting what we propose to build there in Phase I. We only have to show what is doable rather than provide detailed specifications for the structure. We will have 18 months to finalize the design.

Julie Dickey mentioned that there was a small mill on the creek before the Administration building was built, and that we might incorporate that idea into the design.

David sketched out another drawing to reflect the changes proposed by the group, and said he would refine that by week’s end and present a new drawing for the Team’s review and for presentation to the Board of Supervisors at its meeting on Feb. 9th.

Visioning & Branding

Craig explained that the grant proposal must include an Economic Restructuring Plan for Stanardsville, and that an important piece of that will be development of a brand for the town that will be presented to the public as a means of attracting businesses and visitors. The brand has to be simple, but have multiple uses. He also noted that a portion of the grant funds can be used for marketing efforts.

Heather Ashline of CPP distributed a visioning paper for Stanardsville (link attached) keyed to a power-point presentation that first defined the “Assets, Challenges and Opportunities” in Stanardsville. Secondly, it identified as inspiration for a brand four characteristics of the area: “History, Arts & Culture, Natural Amenities, and Active Lifestyle.” Third, it proposed as a brand “Small Town . . . Big Adventure / Big Heart / Big Inspiration”, identifying the target market for each of those three brands, potential niche markets that could be established, and the marketing partners who could help promote the town in each case.

Darla and others questioned whether this branding proposal applied more to the county rather than to Stanardsville. Heather explained that the focus of the branding and marketing efforts is on the town, but that it considers the broader Stanardsville area and the region as a whole.

Alan pointed out that the county’s Economic Development and Tourism website has adopted the term “Explore Greene” as a brand for the entire county. Elements of the proposed brand for Stanardsville complement the county’s brand.

Craig noted that this grant program provides funding to help revitalize the town. That’s where the interest lies. He added that we’re all in this together with the county, but that Stanardsville is different and needs to establish its own niche.

Gary mentioned the efforts of ‘Celebrate Shenandoah” to work with the gateway towns to the park and to help brand and market those communities to increase tourism and promote their individual assets.

Ron complimented the visioning and branding proposal for picking up the theme of Stanardsville being a hub, centrally located to wineries and other attractions, near the park, recreational opportunities, etc.

Heather said that it’s important that the branding concept expand beyond promoting tourism. We need to leverage the assets of the Stanardsville area to encourage new businesses, more residents, etc.

Important Dates

Craig noted the important upcoming dates for the first public hearing on Feb 8; meeting with property owners and presentation to the Board of Supervisors on Feb 9; the second public hearing on March 14; and grant submittal deadline of March 23.

Roy confirmed that two additional dates for Management Team meetings have been set for Feb.15 and 29, with the final meeting scheduled on March 7.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

DHCD Visioning Short.pdf

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