Sunday, February 28, 1999
Mason stakes downtown role
Citizen group drew fire from city
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — City officials say if there is going to be a downtown renaissance, they should be the ones to lead it.
Mason City Council announced last week that it will oversee a new downtown redevelopment effort scheduled to begin as early as July 1. The announcement came just days after Mayor Betty Davis called for a “cool-down period” following a controversy sparked by a citizen group studying the downtown district.
"Leadership role'
“We all want a vital downtown,” she said. “To accomplish that, I think the city needs to take a leadership role in that initiative by gathering resident input from across the community.”
Council members discussed the possibility of hiring a national consulting firm that deals with downtown revitalization to gather information about redevelopment options.
“The heart of any community is its downtown” said Councilman Peter Beck. “It is important for council to continue to look at this issue so that our downtown can begin to thrive again.”
Recent efforts by a Mason citizens' group to gather resident comments on downtown failed amid allegations that it planned to tear down businesses and houses downtown. The group, Citizens for Downtown Mason (CDM), disbanded last week after coming under fire from downtown property owners for harboring a “hidden agenda.”
Third failure CDM's initiative was the third downtown redevelopment effort to fail in Mason in recent years. Mr. Beck said past efforts failed to incorporate three vital components
“The downtown business and property owners, resi dents and the city. They all have to be involved in discussions on this issue,” he said.
“Any time you talk about change, people get ahold of misinformation and they overreact. That's why it's important to have everyone focused on the same page.”
Once a thriving hub of the community, the downtown district has seen its glory days fade.
While parts of Mason have exploded with growth thanks to a swift economy and population surges, the downtown has failed to keep pace.
Traffic congestion, parking and dwindling business choices continue to plague a downtown that is home to mostly offices and a handful of small businesses.
Richard Yost, owner of Yost Pharmacy in Mason, expressed his pleasure with council's decision to proceed with revitalization talks.
"Room for help'
“There is so much room for help downtown,” he said. “I'm glad to see that council is taking an interest because this is something I really don't want to see put on the back burner.”
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