Wenatchee Downtown Association

Association

Downtown Discovery Guide & Map

Click here download the
2008 Downtown Discovery Guide & Map (pdf)

Photos & Videos

Enjoy photos and videos we have gathered or produced to promote our wonderful Downtown.

Board and Staff

Wenatchee Downtown Association
2010-2011 Board of Directors, Officers & Staff

Board of Directors

Roy Gray (2009-2012) | General Manager | Davis Furniture
(President)

Mary Woods (2007-2010) | Owner | The Kitchen Sync
(Past President)

Shawn Clodfelder (2008-2011) | District Sales Manager | Coca-Cola Bottling Co of Washington

Becky Driscoll (2010-2011) | Marketing | Stemilt Creek Winery

Steve Lee (2009-2012) | Manager | Cashmere Valley Bank

Don Gurnard (City of Wenatchee Representative)
Wenatchee City Council

Dianna Miller (2009-2012) | Operations | ALCOA

Tony Veeder (City of Wenatchee Representative)
Wenatchee City Council

Alan Walker (2009-2011) | Executive Director | United Way of Chelan & Douglas Counties

Mark Hamilton (2010 - 2013)| Director of Real Estate Division | Hamilton Investments
Mark's main objectives while serving on the WDA Board of Directors will be: 1) Extend Downtown core 2) Increase membership 3) Create a stronger WDA by working with other groups to bring about changes and to promote similar visions 4) Because of his strong support for the WDA Mark would be a strong fund-raiser 5) Have the WDA become a strong force of change with City Council and the building and zoning departments for the benefit of our members.

Michael Teaney (2010 - 2013) | Vice President, Commercial Lending | Banner Bank
Michael has a background in commercial lending spanning more than 20 years. In the past he has worked with Downtown Development Authorities in both Detroit and Royal Oak, MI. Projects included streetscape projects, facade projects, attracting businesses to coincide with master plans and multitudes of other objectives. Michael believes that in this ever more challenging financial environment the importance of entities like WDA increase and the actions are readily seen in the district.

Staff

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (2008 - present) | Executive Director

Elisabeth Holt (2009 - present) | Program Assistant

Links to Board Documents

Main Street ^TM

WDA's Washington State Main Street Evaluation (2007)
The WSMP periodically performs local program evaluations to assess the progress of designated Main Street organizations using the Main StreeT Apporoach^TM. The folowing report addresses program strengths and weaknesses, progress of our committees, areas where technical assistance is needed, local perceptions & concerns affecting the program and recommendations for moving the program forward.
Wenatchee Downtown Association Local Program Evaluation May 2007

Washington State Main Street News
The Wenatchee Downtown Association is coordinated with guidance from the Washington State Main Street Program. There are currently 11 accredited programs, like Wenatchee, in Washington state, along with dozens of other downtowns and commercial districts working toward our level of success. This document explains the process of becoming part of the Main Street program, along with statistics from programs across the state.
WA State Main Street News, January 2010

Main Street Accreditation
The Washington State Main Street program reviews our organization once per year to ensure that we are meeting standards for a successful downtown revitalization effort. Our board president reviews this document with the executive director and the board. It has been an effective tool to help track our results from year to year. WDA has been accredited by Washington state and the National Main Street Program every year since 1992.
Main Street Accreditation Evaluation

What Happened to Downtown?
The story of downtown is an intriguing one. Downtown districts across the United States have gone through transitions similar to Wenatchee's. This powerpoint, with notes, shows local and national examples of how associations such as ours can help revitailize an important part of our community.
(Sorry--this file is huge and we can't make it available for download yet. Please contact our office for a copy.)

About Downtown Wenatchee

City of Wenatchee's Sub-Area Plan for the Central Business District
Downtown Wenatchee lies within the city of Wenatchee's Central Business District boundaries. This encompasses a large footprint from 5th street on the north to Thurston on the south, and from Chelan Ave. on the west to Columbia Street on the east. Several zoning overlays lie within the broader boundary, including Wenatchee's Historic Core, the stretch of Wenatchee Avenue between Second Street and Yakima Street.
Central Business District Subarea Plan, April 2007

Introduction to the WDA

The Mission of the Wenatchee Downtown Association is to strengthen and enrich the downtown experience.

We are cheerleaders for local small businesses, defenders of our historic downtown, promoters of local culture and ringleaders of those who will help us!

We are a non-profit organization that believes implicitly in the value of each individual’s contribution, whether it be financial contributions, great ideas or hours spent volunteering.

We are proud members of the Washington State Main Street Program and we are nationally-recognized as the 2003 National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Great American Main Street Award Winner. (Not too shabby considering there are over 1600 communities vying for this award across the country each year!)

Get More Information About the Main Street Approach!

What is the Main Street Approach?

The Main Street Approach is a community-driven, comprehensive program that is used to revitalize older, traditional business districts throughout the United States. It is a common-sense way to address the variety of issues and problems that face traditional business districts. The underlying premise of the Main Street approach is to encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation in ways appropriate to today's marketplace. The Main Street Approach advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets: distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.

The Main Street approach is incremental; it is not designed to produce immediate change. Because they often fail to address the underlying causes of commercial district decline, expensive improvements, such as pedestrian malls, do not always generate the desired economic results. In order to succeed, a long-term revitalization effort requires careful attention to every aspect of downtown — a process that takes time and requires leadership and local capacity building.

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Exactly What Does the WDA Do?

The WDA is here to make sure that our historic downtown is healthy and vibrant and that its unique character and personality remain preserved. We do this in many ways including:

•    Working with our Economic Restructuring Committee and the City of Wenatchee to develop a comprehensive vision for downtown that meets the needs of downtown residents, business and property owners.
•    Working with our Promotions Committee to develop projects, events and materials that draw guests downtown to shop, dine, obtain services or open their own business!
•    Working with our Design Committee to make sure that downtown is a safe, clean, visually appealing and historically authentic destination for guests, residents, business and property owners.
•    Working with our Officers and Board of Directors to advocate for downtown businesses within our community and on state and national levels.

Get More Information About Serving on a WDA Committee to Make Your Voice Heard!