howeenterprise.com
Monday, May 23, 2016
Page #6
No growth - No groceries By Monte Walker, EDC Director - City of Howe
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Howe? -- Improvement to older area roadways --Routine maintenance -- Fill pot holes and top coat -- Smith Road area
In 2010, The City of Howe put together a Comprehensive Plan formed by a committee of city officials and citizens. They sent out questionnaires to citizens which returned these The idea of a comprehensive plan is to generate the wants and needs of the community and the results: city and find common ground to reach those Question #3 was: What would make Howe a goals. I'm very proud to see that quite a few of the goals have been accomplished recently and I better place? Answers: also see that we have major goals that we have --Growth: Grocery Store, More businesses, yet to reach. increased affordable housing --More small restaurants, more restaurant In question #3, the citizens saw a need for more choices growth and a grocery store. With the -- Video store announcement of LGI purchasing the remaining --Grocery store (multiple responses) Summit Hill phase I lots, the single-family --More Chamber of Commerce interest housing needs are in the works. With the current --Consistent enforcement of codes population without Summit Hill's soon-to-be --Better street and utility maintenance new homes, a grocery store was a near -- Streetscaping impossible feat. With those additional 113 -- Sign ordinance to reduce small signage homes in the near future, the grocery goal --Beautification program becomes a much more likely possibility. I don't -- Tree trimming think people understand that grocers and --No alcohol sales retailers do in-depth market studies and know -- “Welcome to Howe” sign the precise formulas on what will support a store -- Stronger leadership and what will not. To this point, our city has not --Better utilities with own sewer plant met the criteria of being able to support our own -- Less strict building codes grocer. How many citizens, even if we had our --Doctor’s office, general medical own grocer, would still shop in Sherman to save --More community-wide activities like Fall $0.75? All of that plays into their formulas. Festival --Getting rid of eye sores, i.e. burned down As mentioned, I am proud of the things in grocery store on west side of town question #3 that we have accomplished. We --Revitalized downtown while preserving now have a Chamber of Commerce. We have a historic charm. beautification program that completed some Question #4 had citizens rank a list of business streetscaping. We have a "Welcome to Howe" sign, although it is painted in downtown and a types they would like to see in Howe. 92 need for a highway indicator sign is still percent of citizens that returned the questionnaire said that a grocery store was the needed. I feel like strong leadership is in place at the mayor, city administrator and council number one need in Howe. levels. We have had more community-wide Question #5: What type of housing does the activities like Fall Festival, such as an improved City of Howe need more of? Single family lots Founders Day, Back to School Block Party, 4th of July Fireworks, Chamber Mixers and Hall of were the overwhelming desire of the residents. Respondents clearly showed their Honor Ceremonies. We have rid ourselves of desire for increased affordable single family eyesores, such as the burned down grocery store and restoring the former First Christian Church. housing. In general, residents want a wide And we have revitalized downtown while range of single family housing to meet the preserving its historic charm. varying income levels of families. We haven't solved all of the problems - we've Question #6: What do you believe is the biggest street or road improvement needed in already discussed the grocer issue. A city sewer continued on page 13
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