Main Street group urges data-driven push on vacant storefronts; commission names chair for effort

Erin Salisbury, president of the St. Helens Main Street Alliance, told the planning commission the volunteer group uses the national Main Street approach and recent Main Street America tools to inventory properties and help attract tenants.

"We are your main street organization for the city of Saint Helens. We are a 501(c)(3). We're independent," Salisbury said, describing the Alliance's volunteer-led grant work and its new GIS-based property inventory tool.

Marcy Sanders, also representing the Main Street Alliance, said the tool can map every parcel in the defined Main Street district and capture vacancy status, use type, and owner/contact notes. "It's a powerful tool that we have just started figuring out how to use," she said.

Commissioners and the Alliance focused much of the discussion on how to move from data to action. The Alliance recommended a mix of "carrots and sticks": low-interest loans or small matching grants to…