Note: we also hosted a parallel workshop in Aberdeen: click here for information.

Presentations

You can download the workshop presentations in PDF format. Please let us know if you have any issues viewing the files.

• Policy, Local leadership, Property Owners and Dollars. Heather Dudley Nolette
• Completing the Streets, Scenic Byways and Main Streets. Ian Macek, WSDOT
• Main Street Program, helping communities revitalize the economy, image and appearance of downtowns. Sarah Hansen, Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation
• Certified Local Governments, preserving Washington State’s irreplaceable historic and cultural resources. Nick Vann, Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation
• Federal Opportunities: Preferred Sustainability Status, Community Development Block Grants. Pat Conlen and Jack Peters, Housing and Urban Development

Workshop Overview

We all have an idea in our minds of what a strong, vibrant downtown looks like. Maybe it’s a place where locals and visitors alike want to spend time, filled with attractive, thriving businesses, where buildings are well designed, and roads work for people and cars, with ties to its roots. A place that feels like a real place. Making that vision a reality, however, can be a challenge.

The Highway 101 Revisited workshops will bring stakeholders together from around the Olympic Peninsula to explore how to energize downtown areas, focusing on urban design, historic preservation and economic development.

The free workshops will focus on the barriers, opportunities and support needed to build economically vibrant downtowns that have strong connections to surrounding neighborhoods, support local business, create more housing choices, promote adaptive reuse, preserve historic structures and create a sense of place. These workshops are made possible as part of a grant Forterra received from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Participants at the Highway 101 Revisited workshop will:

• Explore how historic preservation and urban design can contribute to economic development
• Learn about programs, resources and easy-to-implement strategies for downtown improvement projects
• Connect with organizations and individuals pursuing downtown revitalization efforts in their communities

Technical Assistance

In addition to the two workshops, Forterra will partner with two communities, providing free technical assistance related to the grant’s focal areas (economic development, historic preservation, urban design) during the second half of 2012. The type of assistance offered will depend on the unique needs identified by the communities selected, but could include guidance on developing complete streets and active transportation plans, acquiring Certified Local Government status or engaging citizens in the planning process. Communities will be selected based on the willingness of community partners to collaborate in the proposed project, the relevance of assistance requested to the grant’s focal topics and the feasibility of completing the assistance by fall 2012. For more information, please contact Jeff Aken at jaken@forterra.org or 206.905.6928.

Directions/Parking

The Vern Burton Center is located at 308 East 4th Street in Port Angeles. Parking is available in the lot on the east side of the Center, next to City Hall. Additional street parking is also available nearby.

• From the east, take 101-W into Port Angeles. Turn left onto N Peabody St, then right onto E 4th St. The Vern Burton Center will be on your left.
• From the west, take 101-N into Port Angeles. Turn right onto E 4th St. The Vern Burton Center will be on your right.