The Future of Main Street

After living in Huron for 17 years, I have truly come to appreciate this quaint, small town.  Nonetheless, I have always yearned for a Norman Rockwell-like Main Street that teamed with retail shops, bakeries, and coffee shops.   As I travel to different small towns in Ohio, I am envious of their Main Street district and sad that Huron lost its commercial district many years ago. 

As a result of Urban Renewal, which began in Huron in 1965, the “old” Huron was dismantled and the boat basin became the focal point of the downtown, leaving North Main Street disjointed.  In the City’s new master plan, entitled Vision 2020, one of the goals is to reconnect Main Street and establish a thriving business district.  Though great plans often take time to come to fruition, our City officials are well on their way towards achieving this goal.  Initially, the plan was to first re-connect Main Street and then make improvements along the whole of the northern part of the street.  However, negotiations for acquiring the property that would allow Main Street to once again be a contiguous stretch have taken longer than anticipated.  In addition, because the section that will be the connector between the two parts of North Main Street is not currently an existing road, the City was not able to apply for grant money for the necessary improvements.  According to City Manager, Andy White, the City has received $500,000 in grants for improvements to the existing parts which will include new signage and landscaping.  Work on these projects will begin in the spring of 2015.  By 2016, these projects and the connection will be completed. 

In an effort to supplement future development along the newly-established Main Street, the City plans to replace the two existing pavilions near the boat basin building with one 3-season building.  By the end of 2017, the City will have the Showboat property reconstructed, and this and other parcels along Main Street will be ready for development.  White stated “We are putting out a lot of investment proactively in anticipation of development.”  Finally, the City is in the process of updating their zoning codes so future and existing development will be in line with the City’s Master Plan. 

Have a look at the City’s master plan (http://cityofhuron.org/files/2012-council/strategic-plan.pdf) and the architectural renderings.  Certainly, one cannot go back to what was, but the potential for rebuilding the small-town commercial component of Huron is well on track to becoming a reality.