by MOSES LEOS III
The continuation of further restoration in downtown Buda could be on the horizon, say members of the Buda City Council. After many attempts to implement the much talked about “Main Street” movement, the council is once again bringing up the issue.
The National Main Street Program is a 30-year initiative that works at the national, state and local level. The goal is to aid in revitalizing the main economic thoroughfares in local towns and cities, as well as maintain the historical aspects of downtown areas. The program, is a derivative of the privately funded non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“The Main Street Program is an economic development approach that focuses on historical preservation,” said Norma Miess, Senior Main Street Service Officer.
For a city such as Buda, obtaining further expertise in aiding development in the downtown area is an enticing prospect. With more and more people moving to the city, further revitalization of downtown is a key point of contention for the city council.
“(The Main Street program) provides a rallying point for grass roots organization, coupled with goals, objectives and a statewide support network to invigorate a historic downtown like Buda’s,” Buda Planning Director Chance Sparks said.
However, in previous years, the Buda City Council shot down the incorporation of the Main Street project. According to Buda City Manager Ken Williams, the recent recession, along with budget constraints, severely hindered the process. Additionally, an interest in starting a tourism department forced Main Street to fall through the cracks.
“Now is the time to change that,” said Buda Mayor Todd Ruge, who pointed out that changes made in the city council, along with a stronger economy, provides good timing to re-introduce the program.
The commitment is long-term. Cities must participate for a minimum of three years, as well as pay an annual fee. But, what the program brings to cities is the largest reason Buda is looking at the Main Street program. “From a program perspective, it costs $400 to $535 annually, which gives the city access to a number of state resources (architects, funding expertise, training and access to the statewide network of participating cities),” said Sparks, in an emailed response. He and Williams both acknowledge the success the program has had in other cities, such as San Marcos, Lufkin and Georgetown.
“The Main Street Program provides a framework and resources that, if followed properly, leads to beneficial results,” Sparks said. “We anticipate Buda benefiting significantly from this program.”
Buda stands to gain much from the implementation of the Main Street Program, according to Sparks and Ruge. The organization aspect of the program is one way to help the community and the civic government work together to create a solid city identity. “Places like historic downtowns are where so much of a community’s identity is derived from – their historic role as civic, economic social and cultural centers remains as important today as it did at the city’s founding,” Sparks said.
And, on the Economic Development side, the city would be able to have “more avenues to spend” the hotel occupancy tax, Ruge said. Currently, the city is limited to using the hotel tax for tourism purposes. With the Main Street Program, funds from the Hotel Occupancy Tax could be used to rehabilitate historical buildings in the city, with the idea to bring in new businesses to town, thereby maintaining “momentum” from the current restructuring of Main Street, Ruge said.
Becoming eligible for the Main Street Project might be Buda’s most challenging problem. According to the Texas Main Street project, the group which designates Main Street status every year in the state, cities must show commitment towards historical significance and preservation, have private sector and community support of the program, an ability to fund the program, the capability to physically grow and demonstrate a need to be a Main Street city. Once cities meet the criteria, they are competitively judged against other cities. The Texas Main Street project only chooses five cities as Main Street cities every year.
The largest challenge for Buda stems from the ability to fund this program – specifically, hiring a full-time management position to head the Main Street initiative. “The most significant cost is local funding of a full-time Main Street management position,” Sparks said. “The true cost of this can vary, particularly if existing positions can be reclassified to a Main Street manager.”
Buda has taken steps towards meeting the criteria of the Texas Main Street project. “Many common Main Street recommendations, such as establishment preservation policies like local historical districts are already in place in Buda,” Sparks said.
The city’s ability to drum up support for this initiative continues to grow within the community, Sparks said. “Growing support from the grassroots-level is the real indicator of program need, which has sprung to the surface frequently in public outreach efforts for Buda’s Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Plan, Parks & Trails plan and even in early discussions of the EDC’s Economic Development Strategic Plan from people of every perspective in the community.”
Ruge pointed out that the idea for applying for Main Street status is still being thought out. The program has not been discussed among the new members of city council. However, his excitement for the possibility of bringing in the program was evident.
“(The Main Street Program) is very possible for Buda,” Ruge said. “There are a lot of positives that can come out of this. (Main Street) is very appealing for the city.”
