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 incentivize rehabilitation, paired with clear enforcement for long-term blight. Salisbury said the Alliance has successfully pursued Oregon Main Street grants and suggested a modest local revolving fund could help address immediate barriers such as ADA upgrades or ventilation hoods for food service.

The Main Street presenters described the district boundary (Holton, the riverfront district and adjacent blocks including the John Gumm School and areas down to First Street), said their parcel inventory runs to roughly 160 parcels, and proposed sharing access to the Alliance's mapping tool with city staff for joint data collection.

Commissioners raised parking and hours-of-operation as factors influencing downtown vibrancy. One commissioner observed that excessive on-street parking immediately in front of storefronts can reduce walkability and that a broader parking or mobility plan could improve foot traffic. Staff said a citywide transportation-systems plan is being pursued under a grant process that can list a parking-management project; a planning staff member said that program's grant cycle will determine timing.

On resource questions, Alliance leaders said the organization operates lean and requested clearer collaboration with staff, noting the city's limited staffing capacity in the coming year. "We would like your support," Salisbury said, and offered to help inventory properties and perform outreach.

The commission directed work on a joint data collection effort and on outreach to property owners. Commissioners formally directed Commissioner Jacobson to chair the proactive vacant/underutilized storefronts effort and coordinate with Main Street volunteers and city staff on collecting parcel-level data and drafting recommendations for council consideration.

Commissioners and presenters emphasized that many interventions will need follow-up from city staff and council, and that the Alliance's mapping tool is shareable so the commission, staff and the Alliance can maintain a common dataset.

Next steps identified in the meeting included: sharing the Alliance's inventory tool with staff, completing a walk-through inventory of downtown parcels, assembling a prioritized list of "top-five" blighted properties, and evaluating possible funding sources (local match, state Main Street grants, and potential small local grant funds) for targeted repairs and incentives.

Salisbury and Sanders said Main Street would continue voluntary outreach to property owners, pursue state Main Street supports, and collaborate on any scope the commission requests.

Ending: Commissioners agreed to pursue the joint data inventory and to bring a report back at a future meeting; the commission also signaled interest in exploring parking-management work as part of broader mobility and downtown vibrancy objectives.