2008-01-14 Regular Meeting and Workshop of La Porte City Council

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La Porte's easy, laid back, unpretentious lifestyle & location is ripe for quality tourism development. La Porte is 20 miles from Houston Hobby Airport, 40 miles from Intercontinental Airport, 5 miles from Nor- wegian Cruise Unes, 10 miles from Bay Port's new cruise terminal, and 35 miles from Galveston's cruise lines. La Porte Main Street Program - City of La Porte Vision Statement: Main Street La Porte has re-emerged as a thriv- ing downtown community encompassing an appealing hometown at- mosphere in a unique historical bay front setting. Mission Statement: La Porte's Main Street Program revitalizes downtown through the implementation of the four-point approach of design, economic restructuring, promotion, and organization to en- courage reinvestment, preservation and growth. The La Porte Main Street Program consists of an advisory board and four committees. Design Committee Goal: To enhance and improve the aesthetics of downtown through historic preservation. Economic Restructuring Committee Goal: To provide various incentives to maintain and recruit an appropriate mix of businesses for ", downtown. Promotion Committee Goal: To attract locals and tourists to downtown through various events designed to create special memo- ries for all ages. Organization Committee Goal: To recruit volunteers, provide historic preservation and Main Street educational opportunities, and market downtown. The Eight Principles of Main Street Main Street accomplishes its mission of revitalizing historic down- towns through the 4- point approach of design, eco- nomic restructuring, promo- tion, and organization. There are 8 principles that pertain to all areas of the revitalization effort, as explained below. I. Comprehensive Down- town revitalization is a complex process and cannot be accom- plished through a single pro- ject. For successful long-term revitalization, a comprehensive approach must be used. 2. Incremental Small pro- jects and simple activities lead to a more sophisticated under- standing of the revitalization process and help develop skills so that more complex prob- lems can be addressed and more ambitious projects un- dertaken. 3. Self-Help Local leaders must have the desire and the will to make the project suc- cessful. The National Main Street Center and the state Main Street Programs provide direction, ideas and training, but continued and long-term success depends upon the in- volvement and commitment of the community. 4. Public/Private Partner- ship Both the public and pri- vate sectors have a vital inter- est in the economic health and physical viability of the down- town. Each sector has a role to play, and each must under- stand the other's strengths and limitations so that an effective partnership can be forged. 5. Identifying and Capital- izing on Existing Assets Business districts must capital- ize on the assets that make them unique. Every district has unique qualities - distinctive buildings and human scale that give people a sense of belong- ing. These local assets must La Porte's historic Main Street District in relation- ship to Galveston Bay, Syl- van Beach Park, major high- ways, and both cruise line locations.. serve as the foundation for all aspects of the revitalization program. 6. Quality Quality must be emphasized in every aspect of the revitalization program. This applies equally to each element of the program, from storefront design to promo- tional campaigns to educational programs. 7. Change Changes in atti- tude and practice are necessary to improve current economic conditions. Public support for change will build as the pro- gram grows. 8. Implementation- Oriented Activity creates confidence in the program and ever-greater levels of participa- tion. Frequent, visible changes are a reminder that the revitali- zation effort is under way. Small projects at the beginning of the program pave the way for larger activities as the revi- talization effort matures. From the T eX3S Main Street Manual La Porte's Histonc Downtown Revitalization Program