Downtown Redevelopment Project continues, expands to other areas

The revitalization of downtown Kent was only the first step in the Downtown Redevelopment Project. Properties along West Main Street and the Tops plaza at the intersection of State Routes 261 and 43 are planned to be redeveloped along with the continued redevelopment of the downtown area.

[pullquote]The next big thing to do is to come back and do this again. — Dan Smith, Kent Economic Development Director[/pullquote]”The next big thing to do is to come back and do this again,” Economic Development Director Dan Smith said. “It’s about time. We’ve had so much activity over the last four and a half years it has pulled us into making the project go forward and become a reality.”

According to a study conducted by the consumer analytics firm Buxton in 2004, the downtown area, West Main Street and the Tops plaza were determined to be the top three locations to have the biggest impact on Kent’s economy if redeveloped.

The three locations were originally intended to be part of the Downtown Redevelopment Project. Downtown Kent has seen most of the change while West Main Street has seen minor additions. Tops plaza was intended to be converted into a combination of retail and office space, but it has remained untouched.

“We have continued to talk with investors,” Smith said. “We haven’t been able to fully execute this one. That’s still a vision that’s out there.”

No developments have been finalized for Tops plaza as talks with investors and businesses continue, but the city is actively pursuing new developments for the location.

After the Tops Market closed in 2005, the plaza has been home to a handful of small shops, but most of the existing space is vacant.

While it has seen the most change in the past five years, the downtown area developments will continue over the next several years. As part of this redevelopment, the city’s engineering department is currently running a design competition to create bike racks as functional art pieces to be placed around downtown Kent.

“It was decided,” Superintendent of Engineering James Bowling said, “that we could use these functional pieces to do something more than be just a bike rack. They can help express what Kent is and convey to everyone in the area a little bit about Kent.”

The bike rack project has a total budget of $47,000 that includes the design, fabrication and installation of the bike racks. The number of bike racks to be built will be determined by the designs chosen to fit within the budget.

“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Bowling said, “to do something unique and special downtown, and we hope people will put some thought into it and submit something to us so we have the best opportunities to choose from.”

The bike rack competition is part of the streetscape portion of the Downtown Redevelopment Project that will also include benches, wayfinding signs and trash receptacles.