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Business owner urges city to study why downtown businesses leave before spending
Summary
Casey McCoy, a local business owner, asked the council to conduct exit interviews and to directly engage existing and former business owners before adopting new downtown strategies, and questioned whether the current alcohol ordinance benefits today's businesses.
Casey McCoy, who gave his name and a local address during public comment, told the council he supports downtown revitalization but cautioned that many recommendations come from committees rather than directly from business owners. "No one ever asked them why they left," McCoy said, urging the council to conduct exit interviews and to "stop making decisions based solely on assumptions about what businesses need." He listed anchor businesses he said draw traffic to the area, including "County Fair, Pizza Ranch, El Mescal, the Quilt Store, the movie theater, and Pins."
McCoy also questioned whether an alcohol ordinance dating back many years continues to serve current businesses' needs and asked the council to "actively engage with us, walk into our businesses, ask questions, but more importantly, listen." Council members acknowledged the point and said they intend to involve downtown and non-downtown stakeholders as staff develops recommendations.
