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<br />November 19, 2012 -Part I, page 18 - <br />The Need to Redefine <br /> <br />To evaluate the need for redevelopment, the Task Force <br />completed a series of exercises and small group discussions. <br /> <br />Characteristics of “Downtown” Exercise <br />The first exercise asked Task Force members to define the <br />“Components of a successful downtown” and describe “What <br />downtown means”. Their responses included the following in no <br />particular order: <br /> <br />What makes a downtown successful? <br /> “Heart” or center <br /> Nostalgia <br /> Authenticity <br /> Unique/traditional (sets us apart from suburban <br />development) <br /> Past, present and future planning <br /> Shopping/eating <br /> <br />Why do you come downtown? <br /> Diversity of activity <br /> Destination <br /> Tradition <br /> Special events/ entertainment <br /> <br />How do you know when you are downtown? <br /> Mass of historic buildings <br /> Signage <br /> <br />What does downtown mean to you? <br /> Vitality <br /> Interest, not necessity <br /> Commercial, retail and service <br /> Connectivity, transition, cohesive <br /> New residential <br /> Accessibility <br />o Pedestrians <br />o Traffic flow/access points <br />o River <br /> History <br /> Activities/amenities <br /> Aesthetically pleasing <br /> Balance of old and new <br /> Charm, pleasant feel <br /> Brick and south Main Blocks <br /> <br />What should downtown have that it doesn’t <br /> Embellishments (flags, plantings, color) <br /> Specialty businesses <br /> Signage <br /> Directional <br /> Informative <br /> <br />Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Exercise <br />The second exercise involved a discussion of Strengths, <br />Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, a summary of which is <br />provided in the Appendix. <br /> <br />It was a result of this exercise in which the Task Force reached <br />consensus that “Downtown Elk River” has already changed, as a <br />result of time and market, to a point where it is no longer the <br />thriving commercial center it was 50 years prior. Further, <br />consensus was that “Downtown Elk River” needs to reinvent <br />itself as the historical, cultural, and energetic core of community. <br />With the core established and strengthened, the service and office <br />uses will reemerge in the area, even when changes to Highway 10 <br />require more destination driven trips.