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Council weighs Oldtown business incubation and a possible 'mural city' strategy
Summary
Staff outlined Oldtown economic activation work — retail consultant hire, park and pocket‑park openings, a visitors center and business incubation plans — and council debated whether to pursue a targeted 'mural city' strategy amid funding limits on hotel‑occupancy tax and existing mural grants.
Council discussed Oldtown activation and whether to pursue a focused public‑art strategy during the 2025 priorities briefing.
Claire (city staff) said economic development hired a retail consultant to attract businesses to Oldtown and noted recent private openings, the completion of the Oldtown Pocket Park, expanded special events, and a planned visitors information center. She said economic development policy updates later in the agenda are intended to support small business growth and business incubation in Oldtown.
An unnamed councilmember proposed exploring a strategic approach to murals to draw visitors and create an interactive trail — a “mural city” concept. The councilmember said the idea was not to immediately fund every mural but to debate the concept and weigh pros and cons for future planning and budgeting.
Councilmember Kate responded with a lighthearted comment during the exchange; other councilmembers raised funding constraints. Staff noted a cap on what can be funded with hotel‑occupancy tax dollars and cautioned that pivoting existing public art funds wholly toward murals could shift support away from other art forms. Claire also pointed to an existing mural grant included in the economic development policy as a tool that can incentivize private developer participation.
Several councilmembers urged near‑term focus on business incubation in Oldtown to avoid vacancies as new residential units come online, arguing that attracting the right retail and small businesses should accompany recent residential gains. Staff said the incubation work and policy updates will return to council for further direction and possible budget consideration.
The council did not adopt any formal resolution on the mural proposal during the briefing; members asked staff to bring the idea back for discussion so council can weigh funding tradeoffs and strategic goals.
