By Jessica Edwards
About 10 residents attended a downtown planning meeting Feb. 12
meant to get a feeling from potential stakeholders about the study’s goals.
Notably absent were members of the borough assembly, planning
commission, or other municipal boards.
The $40,000 planning effort was authorized last year as a result
of assembly debate about the fate of two vacant school properties on Main Street.
Attendees said they wanted a pedestrian-friendly, more beautiful
downtown area, thoughtfully planned parking areas, greater focus on the boat harbor as an
economic center, improved signage, and strategies for local businesses and government to
make improvements and planning changes.
Juneau architect and planner Paul Voelckers of MRV Architects
said his group would look at architectural and planning aspects of the downtown core,
using Main Street as the primary focus.
Planners will also consider how three other zones “feeding”
Main Street might contribute to town vitality, Voelckers said.
The zones include Lutak Road and north Front Street, south Front
Street to the Port Chilkoot Dock, and Main Street corridor west of 6th Avenue,
including western portions of Union Street and Old Haines Highway.
MRV will conduct interviews and review economic factors through
April. In June, the firm will return to Haines to conduct meetings to outline key
elements, several approaches to improvements, and implementation strategies. A final plan
will be completed by October.
Voelckers said Haines had a density of services and proximity of
housing that lent to walking routes. He said the study would help the community identify
small and large planning goals. “There’s no single magic answer,” he said.
“We just think there are some things that could be done to make Main Street work
better.”
State Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, said the boat harbor should be
central to planning efforts, saying the 80 commercial fishing boats contributed $6 million
to the local economy last year.
Thomas named harbor parking, a shortage of commercial slips, and
a lack of services for the fleet as concerns. “Fishermen are moving out of town. I’m
frustrated (the harbor) is secondary.”
He also said the community was known to dally with money
allocated by the Legislature for capital improvements. “The problem with giving
Haines money is they don’t spend it.”
Borough manager Tom Bolen said he hoped the primary focus would
be improving town for residents. “Then visitors are icing on the cake.”
Downtown property owner Debra Schnabel suggested the planning
focus broaden to a walking loop along which residents could accomplish daily business,
such as shopping at downtown businesses and visiting the library and post office.
Schnabel said a 1995 planning effort through the Haines Chamber
of Commerce had fallen short at the implementation stage, and said the community’s
will was crucial to success. The town has been reluctant to change, she said.
“There has to be a will to give something up to make things
go smoothly. (Hopefully) your plan can help people understand the need to make sacrifices
for the bigger picture.”
She suggested MRV present the community with cost-stratified
options for town improvements, starting with easy, inexpensive fixes and graduating to
more involved, costly strategies.
Providing “how-to” advice for local businesses and
information about potential borough partnerships would also help, she said.
Schnabel said ugly downtown buildings needed to be let go, and
pressure applied on the local utility to bury power lines.
Downtown business owner Dave Olerud said businesses would be
strapped to make improvements, and said very convenient parking was crucial to successful
commerce.
Olerud stressed the importance of in-depth interviews with
business owners to the study’s success.
Former Haines Energy Task Force member John Norton said the plan
should address future transportation needs, such as parking locations for ridesharing and
alternative energy vehicle plug-ins.
Signage to direct visitors to town services were needed, Norton
said, as was a way to present a range of opportunities in Haines. “We need a way of
pointing out the variety of experiences available here.”
Hammer Museum director Dave Pahl stressed the importance of
long-term implementation policy, referring to a failed effort in years past to maintain a
beach picnic area, and helping local businesses make improvements. He said Haines should
do more to capitalize on its appeal as a “real” town.