The Downtown Brookings Master Plan was passed and approved on Oct. 22, allowing the city to use it as a resource in the future for the development of Brookings.

This initiative is meant to have actionable, achievable items for the City of Brookings and Downtown Brookings over the next 10 years, according to Samantha Beckman, Assistant to the City Manager and a key project staff.

Downtown Brookings hired RDG, a design and planning firm, as a consultant for the plan. They contributed their expertise throughout the process.

“Many communities look at Brookings as an example of precedent, so how can we continue to elevate ourselves to be an even greater destination,” said Cory Scott, an urban planner with RDG.

The Downtown Brookings Master Plan highlights three catalyst projects that include the reuse of The Armory, the development of a 72-hour parking lot and the creation of a downtown park, Beckman said.

The plan also incorporates smaller initiatives to enhance the downtown experience. Lighting changes, the addition of public art, bumpouts, improved walkability and strategies to resolve parking issues are all mentioned in the plan.

“Everything in the document is put in there with the intention of making life better for everybody. More enjoyable, more safe, more vibrant,” said Kirsten Gjesdal, the Executive Director of Downtown Brookings.

Beckman wanted to make sure citizens know their taxes will not be impacted. A key element of the plan is to assess the feasibility of establishing a Downtown Business Improvement District (BID).

There are a lot of different options to fund these initiatives, Gjesdal said. Some projects would be financed privately, while others would depend on a BID, Tax Increment Financing or private donors.

For a BID to be considered by the City Council, it must receive support from downtown property owners, meaning the decision to create the BID district will ultimately be up to them.

Gjesdal noted that the contributions from the public were vital in determining the plan’s content. With 4 public meetings, 182 in-person participants, 2655 online participants and over 500 comments, the citizens of Brookings recommended many of the ideas presented.

“I think downtown is very excited about what the future of downtown looks like, but they’re always going to have differing ideas about how to get there,” Gjesdal said.

The public will also play an important role in the future of this plan, according to Gjesdal. Citizens can continue to participate by following along with social media updates and press releases. Gjesdal also encouraged citizens to come downtown to see what’s happening in person.

“Most of the feedback we’ve received has been positive,” Beckman said. “People are generally very excited about what the Master Plan is trying to accomplish, which is to create a downtown by design, rather than by default.”