In 2012, Huron City Council adopted a master plan
for the City in which they set forth to redefine and update key areas of the
City. The plan, entitled Vision 2020, “is
a comprehensive master plan for Huron that capitalizes on downtown
redevelopment opportunities, creates synergies between identified initiatives
and sets a course for the city’s growth while ensuring its rich history and
character are celebrated.” Many of the
ideas set forth in this master plan have already been completed; namely, the
reclamation of the Con Agra site and the acquisition and clean up of the former
Showboat site.
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| Construction to re-connect Main Street, September 2015 |
Another of the key suggestions of Vision 2020 was to reconnect Main
Street which had been left disjointed following Urban Renewal. According to the plan, “The extension of North Main Street
establishes substantial new opportunities for development within the City’s
core. More importantly, the new street will re-link the City’s primary
corridor, by re-imagining parking lots and other underutilized land as a
beautiful and functional street.”
Through much planning, the City finally began the process of
re-connecting the disjointed portion of Main Street this fall. In
total, the North Main Street Project is
estimated to cost $1.3 million and is to be completed in two phases.
Phase I called for
the re-connection of Main Street through two separate parking lots- the Boat Basin
lot and the hotel lot. This phase was
slated to be completed in fiscal year 2015. Work began on this project this fall and is
nearly complete. To date, the City has spent
$267,000 on this project and anticipates
spending another $433,000. This total of
$700,000.00 came from the city’s Capital
Improvement Project Fund.
Phase II called for
streetscape enhancements totaling $650,000.00 to be completed in fiscal year 2016.
This project will begin at the
intersection of US 6 and SR 13 and run north to the former entrance of the Boat
Basin parking area. Subsequently; work
will proceed from the intersection of Main and South streets to Main Street’s
northern terminus at the Huron River Pier. The streetscape enhancements will include asphalt,
curb, sidewalk, parking, and landscape improvements. The City acquired a federal grant in the
amount of $500,000 to help fund this phase of the project. The remaining $150,000 will come from the
City’s Capital improvement Project Fund.
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| North Main Street looking south from Wall Street |
The ultimate goal of the Main Street project is
to re-establish a thriving Main Street in Huron. To that end, the City has had contact from
the private development community to discuss preliminary concepts for new
construction along Main Street. According to City Manager, Andy White, “Work
on a specific recruitment strategy is ongoing and is expected to be in place in
2016 with potential for development as a result of capital investment by the City.” Further he stated “In accordance with its
Master Plan, the city will value those proposals which increase property
valuations, create jobs and provide new downtown amenities for residents in the
highest regard.” It is truly exciting to
see what the near future will hold for the Huron!
