It's a warm Friday evening in downtown Mason. You consider walking to your favorite pizza shop, but you drive instead. Most businesses are closed, and you only see a few people strolling to get dinner or shop owners finishing up before the weekend.
What you won’t see is much foot traffic coming from the south of Mason into the downtown corridor or people gathering, socializing or biking from a nearby trailhead and visiting shops along the way. At least not yet.
You might have spied the blue, orange, and green signs on neighbors’ lawns, but what is Make the Mile? According to the Mason Deerfield Community Development Corporation (MADE CDC), it’s an ongoing project to create “a vibrant, sustainable, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use, cultural, civic and social heart” of Mason. It's a long-term investment to breathe life into 42 and Mason-Montgomery Road and create lasting interest.
“It’s a good investment because interests are aligned. Property owners want a stronger real estate market, business owners see an opportunity for increased commerce and the community wants a flourishing downtown,” shares MADE CDC Board Member and Mason Mile Project Core Team Member, Kacey Richards.
Mason Mile business owner Jean Raga is excited to have all the key stakeholders working together toward common goals, “I believe this initiative, for the first time, has all the key players involved to be successful. The residents, the city and the business community are all on the same page and with that cohesive thinking, I believe we will see some great strides for the Mile. It is time to have a place to center business, community events and engagement.”
What can you expect from this project promising a vibrant downtown? Just that. According to the project’s most recent executive summary, it aims to “support more than 40,000 square feet of office use, up to 200 housing units, and a recommended tenant mix of more than 200,000 square feet of retail shopping, restaurants, culture and entertainment over the next five to ten years.”
“Downtown is both the geographic and the emotional heart of Mason. It provides the visual brand, the gathering place and the quality of life amenities that support all the other city assets,” explains City of Mason Mayor Diana Nelson. “For residents, visitors and the corporate community there is an expectation that Mason’s downtown reflects our success. Failing to invest in downtown ultimately diminishes other successes. I’m proud of the downtown business climate and eager to see their profile grow.”
Make the Mile has been a labor of love for the project activators, including more than 60 meetings and interviews with stakeholders and a consumer survey of over 700 Mason residents. A community workshop where more than 120 people tested concepts presented by consultants from RGDE, Common Grounds and BLDG Brands was held last summer.
Lead Activator for the project, Chris Heim explains, “From the start of the project the goal has always been to engage the community as it relates to our downtown area and what the vision and opportunities could be for its future. The Mason community is embedded with premier destinations, world-class events and industry-leading commerce and the vision has been to reflect the same in our downtown area.”
Community workshop contributors favored concepts such as making Mason more walkable and developing an amphitheater to serve as a hub for art, events and entertainment. Participants also liked the idea of creating better mixed-use buildings to help generate exciting spaces that complement the small-town feel. Redeveloping strip malls to offer more retail and dining was also essential.
“Much of the community input cited a desire to have more events in our downtown area so we’re actively working to make that happen,” shares Chris.
Says Mayor Nelson, “Arts and culture are important to me, and seeing the study confirm that there is a market and economic benefit in addition to the cultural impacts is exciting.”
Last fall's first Picture Mason! Art Hop was an idea originally brought forward by Make the Mile volunteers. Chris explains, “We partnered with the City of Mason and had a wonderful inaugural event in October and the feedback from downtown businesses and eventgoers was extremely positive.”
More findings from Phase I of Make the Mile will become available to the public this spring. Community members can also watch for new events this year and the start of a physical master plan. Masonites can continue to be part of this project by signing up to volunteer to help with upcoming events and work on Phase II.
“Collaboration is a good investment for Mason. The input and buy-in from the stakeholders, who will be utilizing downtown, is one of the most important factors in creating a successful vision,” explains Kacey.
Chris adds, “The baseline has always been to have as much community input as possible. There has been a tremendous amount of hours donated by project volunteers at numerous public meetings over the past two years. The community has been amazing relative to volunteer efforts and we’re hoping that continues.”
Jean is optimistic about a sense of community continuing to build around the project and downtown, “Creating pride in the area as a place where we shop, dine and participate in community events is a key benefit. I am looking forward to being able to run into neighbors, friends and business colleagues on the streets of the Mile.”
Stay up to date on the progress of the project at MaketheMile.com.
More About the Mile: By the Numbers
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Nearly 40 project activators gathered data and photos and distributed yard signs, decals and flyers.
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Comment cards and other online surveys generated input from another 380 people.
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The core team of lead volunteers (Annie Droege, Chris Heim, David Charpentier and Kacey Richards) have contributed more than 350 volunteer hours.
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A Project Advisory Council comprised of more than two dozen community members has helped double the projected available time and input investment.
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A volunteer Board of Directors and staff contributed a collective 600+ volunteer hours.
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A $180,000 grant funding partnership was provided by the City of Mason.
What’s Next for Make the Mile?
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Action Plan: The community can expect several ways to get involved in moving the action plan forward in the coming months. "I’m eager to push forward on many fronts and excited to see so many others who share that enthusiasm. There is a lot of work, but a lot of eager hands ready to help,” shares Mayor Nelson.
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Events: “Continued development of multi-cultural social events that will drive attention and business to downtown and benefit our overall community. Things like markets, pop-up merchants and art/music festivals are all on the radar and as these events develop they will be a result of the Make the Mile effort,” says Chris.
