City of Little Falls Round 5 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) September 15, 2021
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JUSTIFICATION: Provide an overview of the downtown area nominated for the DRI program, highlighting the area’s defining characteristics and the reasons for its selection. Explain why the downtown is ready for DRI investment, and how that investment would serve as a catalyst to bring about revitalization.
Rethinking Little Falls’ Downtown Vision The DRI strategy for Little Falls is rooted in extensive community input since 2007 with numerous reports including the 2020 Brownfield Report, the 2018 Comprehensive Plan and the 2010 City of Little Falls Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The year-long community dialogue detailed in the Little Falls Comprehensive Plan revealed several realistic planning priorities that became the foundation of the City’s DRI vision, including: • • • • • • • • •
A Return to Population Growth Preserving and Revitalizing Our Central Business District Encouraging Ongoing Development of the Waterfront as the City’s Unique Resource Creating a Vibrant Arts and Cultural Mecca for the Region Smart Growth to Encourage Development that Boosts the Economy, Enhances Community Vitality and Protects the Environment Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal Encourage the Development of New and Updated Housing Stock Welcoming Industrial and Service Employers Treasuring our Heritage
While some cities are defined by their history and tradition, many in Little Falls believe the best chapters in the City’s story are yet to be written. Through the talents, innovation and perseverance of its citizens, the City is experiencing a revitalization and sense of optimism that would make its early founders proud. The community’s extraordinary engagement, growing interest in live/work relocations, and the number of recent private investments ($11.6 million) has prompted the City and its community stakeholders to develop a cohesive, transformational vision for Little Falls that connects the Main Street and Canal Place commerce areas of the City into a single Downtown Waterfront District—the DRI target area. The target area was also selected based on its unique geographic characteristics and historic assets.
