As downtown areas strive to engage in renovation, local governments have stepped in to make large improvements with huge results. Sandy, Oregon, is a great case to study. It has a population of 9,655, is approaching the centennial of its incorporation, has a prime location on Highway 26, and its historic value includes being a part of the Oregon Trail. This city created a master-plan to make improvements to the main street’s historic buildings, as well as modern buildings that do not follow the new design standards that are compatible with the “Cascadian” style that the city desires.

To make this a successful project, Sandy took an innovative approach. Instead of relying on property owners to pay for this process, Sandy’s catch was that they would pay 100 percent of the costs for every building. With a budget of $1.8 million over six years, the impact so far, with one-third of the money spent, has been huge.

Why? The city saved money by having a single contractor perform all of the work. The city did end up requiring a 1 percent match, but building owners agreed to it quickly. Most owners made larger investments in their buildings, inside and out. This spark of town improvement inspired other businesses to open downtown as well. The new downtown area was able to come alive for the residents of Sandy, but not without important lessons learned.

• As a practical matter, it might be necessary to place a cap on the owner’s cost.
• Different circumstances may require different approaches.
• The program needs to have built-in flexibility to deal with the unknowns inherent in working with older buildings.
• Be prepared for problem negotiation along the way.

Check out the full article written by Tracy Brown and Scott Lazenby.