The signs that 2010 may be a benchmark year for Rolla were made clearer at Monday’s City Council meeting when the City Council unanimously approved several items of business that could very well have a far-reaching impact on the City’s economic future and quality of life.
The City Council approved a request for an ordinance establishing a zoning overlay district to include the Rolla Arts and Entertainment District, and a subsequent ordinance to amend the Rolla 2020 Comprehensive Plan Update by incorporating the Rolla Arts and Entertainment District (RA&ED) Urban Conservation and Redevelopment District Plan. These ordinances, which include the identification of boundaries for the RA&ED, will not only give stature and prominence to the new district, but also encourage the preservation, enhancement, expansion and integration of the arts and associated cultural activities, including arts-related support uses, within the area defined as the RA&ED. The overlay district also will provide a mechanism to tailor policies and regulations to address problems unique to the district that can unnecessarily delay desirable redevelopment.
During the challenging economic times we are facing as a community, it is noteworthy that the overlay district is intended to expand business and job opportunities by helping Rolla become a destination point for visitors. The designation also will strengthen the design character and identity of the district as a place devoted to promoting the arts and entertainment. Study after study shows that community’s across the country that have strong arts and cultural venues (i.e., theatres (Rolla has two), performing art centers, art galleries, antique shops, historical museums, etc.) tend to enjoy a higher quality of life, attract more visitors, and enrich the community.
With activity and interest building in the new Rolla Arts and Entertainment District, where the new Benton Square development, Ozark Actors Theatre (Cedar Street Center), and Orvall Reeves Art Gallery are located, the City’s Public Works Department identified the need for ample off-street parking – specifically parking for employees and special events. The department’s proposal for Phase 1 of the Rolla Arts & Entertainment Public Parking proposal was approved by City Council at Monday’s meeting. The Phase I parking improvements include numerous parking spaces in the parking lot located at the corner of 5th and Cedar Streets, and at the corner of 8th and Cedar Streets.
While the new RA&ED is a significant step forward toward making Rolla a “destination city”, it was equally noteworthy at Monday’s City Council meeting that the City Council approved a motion to sign a Scope of Services agreement under the DREAM (Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri) program with the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Rolla was selected in October 2009 to participate in the DREAM program – one of five communities selected in October 2009. The DREAM program was created to help small and mid-sized communities acquire the necessary expertise to advance downtown revitalization objectives based on the planning reports described in the Scope of Services and to help communities navigate through the various downtown revitalization, business development, and residential resources available through state government.
It is most encouraging that over $5 million in private investment has been made in the City’s downtown business district; over $3 million in private investment in the new Benton Square development, and hundreds of thousands more in the construction and renovation of several key businesses and restaurants in the area. Commercial construction and development has increased significantly in Rolla over the past year, and early indications in January 2010 point to a benchmark year for our community.
In addition to the new overlay district for the RA&ED, the DREAM Program, and two new parking areas for the RA&ED district, the City also is excited about the future redevelopment of the proposed Bryant Drive intersection that will provide the gateway entrance to the new Missouri S&T Tech Park, and improve traffic mobility on Kingshighway and Fairgrounds Road. Agreements between the City of Rolla, McDonalds, Missouri S&T, Fairground Chevrolet and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) for this intersection improvement are being drafted and upon completion, will set the groundwork for this significant project, which should begin sometime this spring.
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