Downtown Plan Needs Implementation
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
The master plan for downtown Opelousas has been finalized, publicized and approved.
Now it’s time for implementation, but that process is proving difficult, says city Main Street member Gretchen Erlingson.
“Honestly it’s been a struggle,” Erlingson told members of the Opelousas Noon Rotary Club on Tuesday.
Although the Opelousas Downtown Development District has financed a downtown master plan crafted nearly four years ago with input from citizens, Erlingson said, there is still “serious work” ahead in order to make the downtown area commercially viable.
There are many barriers to revitalizing a downtown area that experiences thousands of vehicles thundering through the six block area each day, Erlingson pointed out.
The process for moving forward with any downtown plans requires a collaborative effort that includes the property owners, city officials and volunteer groups such as Main Street, according to Erlingson.
Getting all three phases synchronized for effective implementation is what Erlingson calls, “the major stumbling block.”
For instance Erlingson pointed out that many of the downtown properties are owned by landlords who don’t live in Opelousas.
Some of the property owners have expressed antipathy towards the current city administration, Erlingson said, while others are reluctant to allow city inspectors to enter their businesses in order to determine whether their structures are suitable or habitable for commercial enterprise.
Other landlords don’t appear eager to work with the volunteer Opelousas Main Street group, despite being offered the free assistance, Erlingson added.
There have been, however, some recent signs of hope for reviving the downtown.
Recently Opelousas Main Street hosted a downtown walk where national and state recognized downtown economic specialists along with citizens and volunteers, visited several vacant business sites.
Messages by the participants were left outside the businesses indicating possible commercial opportunities inside each of the buildings.
That information was transferred to the property owners, perhaps giving those landlords possibilities that could bring the properties back into commerce, Erlington said.
Main Street, which is composed of volunteers that frequently network with other communities experiencing similar difficulties with stimulating downtown revitalization, Erlingson said.
“Opelousas Main Street is trying to save the sixblock downtown. It’s made up of people with different interests and some of them own businesses. Main Street has no funding , but it does have access to grants for blighted areas,” said Erlingson.
Main Street has been successful, said Erlingson, in obtaining a $160,000 matching wheelchair grant through the Department of Transportation that will address improved access that connects Market Street to both city parks.
The organization, Erlingson explained, is always looking for new members who can volunteer their time and expertise.
“We are always looking for members that have a passion for revitalization,” Erlingson said.
