In its final official act as a committee, the URD-PAC, otherwise known as the Urban Renewal District Planning Advisory Committee, voted Wednesday evening to recommend that the Hermiston City Council approve the formation of the district at its Aug. 12 meeting.
The city council will hold a public meeting prior to its Aug. 12 meeting to hear from the public on the proposal to form an urban renewal district in an effort to revitalize Hermiston’s Main Street and attract new retail businesses to the downtown core.
The budget for the district has been set at $2.5 million and will pay for a festival street along Second Street, a façade grant program, jump-start loans, and parking improvements, among other projects. Funding for the projects will not come from new taxes. Instead, future increases in tax revenue from existing taxing districts will be shifted over to the urban renewal district for the time in which the district exists. The lifespan of the district has been set at 20 years.
After Wednesday’s vote, committee members offered their thoughts on what an urban renewal district could do for Hermiston.
“It’s a good thing for the vitality of Hermiston,” said committee member Joe Thompson. He said he recently drove through the downtown area of Pendleton, which formed an urban renewal district in 2003, and saw a lot of pedestrians walking through the downtown core.
“Then we drove down Main Street in Hermiston and saw about four cars,” he said. “You could see the effect it’s had on Pendleton. I think it will be good for us.”
Committee member Rod Hardin, who is also the president of the Hermiston City Council, said he’s visited a number of cities with urban renewal districts and noted the positive changes to their downtown area.
“It’s brought life to those areas,” said Hardin. “I haven’t seen one that has failed yet.”
Committee member Bob Mullay said forming an urban renewal district is a logical step for Hermiston.
“Hermiston is a top-notch city,” he said. “We’ve got great schools and everything is moving in the right direction. Revitalizing the downtown is another step in the process.”
For more information on the urban renewal district plans, visit the city of Hermiston website.
