* Public hearing set for May 20

MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon has unveiled a plan for downtown revitalization and a more accessible waterfront that includes more than $33 million in public projects, including a new parking garage and riverfront promenade.

The draft Downtown and Waterfront Master Plan, released this week, aims to increase the density of downtown developments, make the area more pedestrian friendly and reconnect residents with the river.

The plan consolidates existing riverside parking into a parking garage on the block bordered by Second, Third, Gates and Myrtle streets, thereby opening up the waterfront for residential and commercial developments, flood protection measures and a new 24-foot promenade on the water side of that floodwork.

The concrete-surfaced promenade would extend from the Division Street Bridge to the intersection of Broadway and South First streets and would feature a new public dock and plaza near its midpoint. Each end of the promenade would also connect to waterfront multi-purpose trails.

“There is something magical about being near or on water,” Mayor Bud Norris said of the planned waterfront access. “The other thing that I think it offers us is something to build on from the standpoint of a really nice trail system.”

The complete master plan is available for public viewing on the city’s Web site, at City Hall and at the City Library and will be the subject of a May 20 public hearing. Signed, written comments about the plan will also be accepted by fax, mail and personal delivery until 5 p.m. May 19.

The master plan was prepared by Seattle-based KPFF Consulting Engineers with input from city staff and officials and a citizen advisory group.

Despite the price tag and large scope of the plan, Norris is optimistic that the city will see it though.

“I think the potential is great because this isn’t something that has been thrown together in two to three months,” Norris said Tuesday. “This is something that has been put together over a four-year period.”

Community and Economic Development Director Jana Hanson said Tuesday, “The master plan is intended to show how the downtown can be redeveloped over the next 20 years ... to improve the pedestrian and public access to the river and to connect downtown to the Skagit Station.”

That vision for Mount Vernon’s downtown and waterfront, said Hanson, is predicated on the ongoing efforts to the lift city out of the 100-year floodplain.

Planned flood control measures include higher levees and flood walls from Lions Park to the north and the sewage treatment plant to the south, according to the master plan. Additionally, a floodwall west of Main Street, along the existing revetment, would be capped with the 24-foot wide promenade to provide public access and flood protection for the downtown area between Division Street and Kincaid Street.

Once that flood protection is in place, Hanson said the city expects commercial and residential developers to buy and build along the river. The master plan would guide that development.

Hanson said engineering for the flood protection work is under way and should be done by the end of summer. Construction of the proposed levees and floodwalls would then take place in 2010 and, commercial and residential development would follow in 2011 or 2012.

“The main component of the overall project is really flood control because the flood protection gives the physical protection as well as moves us out of the 100-year floodplain,” Hanson said.

Improvements to the intersection of First Street, Division Street and Freeway Drive and to the intersection of South First and Kincaid streets are also incorporated into the plan, as are plans for funding the public projects and attracting private developers.

Private development could be encouraged, the report says, by halving the impact fees charged for those building downtown, decreasing the cost and length of time required for permitting and by adopting a multi-family tax exemption program. Hanson said the city already has some funding for the $33 million in public projects and is working to secure further funding from the state.

• Elliott Wilson can be reached at 360-416-2147 or at .


On the agenda
What: Mount Vernon Planning Commission meeting
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 20
Where: Police and Court Campus, 1805 Continental Place
Issue: Public hearing on draft downtown and waterfront master plan
For more information: http://www.ci.mount-vernon.wa.us

How to comment on the master plan

• In person: Written or verbal comments can be made at the May 20 public hearing or delivered to 910 Cleveland Ave., weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

• By mail: Send to the City of Mount Vernon, Community and Economic Development Department, P.O. Box 809, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

• By fax: Send to 360-336-6383

• Deadline: Comments are due by 5 p.m. May 19 unless delivered at the May 20 hearing