Town Center and Corridor Study |

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The study is presented by chapter, with a download link and short introduction for each.
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Cover and Table of Contents Executive Summary This Town Center and Corridor Study builds upon prior planning work done in the Town of Eatonville, primarily the Community Action Plan (CAP) of 2000. Some items such as the upgrade to Carter Street, 4-way stop signs at Carter and Mashell, and a master plan for the old mill site (Mashell Meadows) are complete or under way. Other items such as the Town Center and a connection from Washington to Mashell Avenues are identified in the CAP and studied in more detail in the Town Center Plan. A Rural Town and Corridors Program and activities of the Eatonville Downtown Development Association (EDDA) are currently in development ... Background The Town of Eatonville, located in southern Pierce County, is a rural town of approximately 2,500 residents. State Highway 161 runs north south through the center of town and leads to Mount Rainier National Park. As a result, Eatonville is known as a gateway community leading to the Park. Eatonville is also surrounded by several other outdoor attractions, such as the Northwest Trek, Pioneer Farm House and Pack Forest. Despite its close proximity to these regional attractions, Eatonville has struggled to capture the tourist trade from those traveling through the area ... Chapter 1 -- The Planning Process A series of interactive meetings along with a strong desire on the community’s part to move forward with downtown revitalization lead to stakeholder consensus for the preferred alternative. Citizens often arrived at meetings with different ideas about how to solve “problems.” As a result, meetings were lively. Despite the differences of opinion, participants worked to find shared values and to create solutions acceptable for all stakeholders ... Chapter 2 -- Existing Conditions (2MB) This plan focuses primarily on the commercial “heart” of downtown Eatonville. There are three distinct areas each with different characteristics. Washington Avenue, which runs through the center of town is also State Route 161, which presents unique challenges. Mashell Avenue long considered the center of downtown Eatonville runs parallel to Washington Avenue and is considered the town “mainstreet.” Center Street, which runs perpendicular to both Washington and Mashell, is defined by two distinctly different development patterns ... Chapter 3 -- Plan Objectives To prioritize planning objectives, Arai Jackson outlined all the objectives and sub-elements listed in the scope on large boards during one of first meetings with the Eatonville Downtown Development Association. EDDA members placed dots next to the objectives that were most important to them. These prioritized objectives became the driving force of the planning process ... Chapter 4 -- The Alternatives (4MB) A number of different alternatives were developed for each sub element of the plan. The alternatives were based on established goals, public/private partnership opportunities, traffic and parking issues identified by the town, the comprehensive plan, and current scheduled street improvements. Each of these ideas was discussed in depth with the Eatonville Downtown Development Association during the planning process ... Chapter 5 -- The Preferred Alternative (10MB) The Preferred Alternative includes both public and private components. Public components include a framework of streetscape improvements, traffic revisions and a town plaza. Private components include a potential new street, retail plaza, storefront improvements, new retail and/or mixed-use buildings, and potentially, an event center and revitalization activities aimed at drawing both new businesses and new customers into Eatonville ... Chapter 6 -- Cost Estimates Planning level cost estimates have been included to provide a basis for carrying elements of the Town Center and Corridor Plan forward through design and construction. The costs describe broad elements and should be used in that sense. More specific line items have been shown in the Appendix. Since no actual designs have yet been done, the assumptions and quantities shown are purposefully broad. The goal is to provide sufficiently accurate information to support application for funding for design and construction. These costs also help to give a sense of reality to the process of prioritizing the many competing needs encompassed in the Town Center Plan ... Chapter 7 -- Funding Opportunities There are a number of different funding sources available to the Town of Eatonville. This chapter provides a brief outline of these resources and includes resources that Eatonville has already had success in acquiring. More detailed information about each funding source is outlined in the appendix including, websites, contact names, and deadlines (Funding Resources). All the information is quoted directly from the source ... Chapter 8 -- Nexts Steps The ultimate goal of the Eatonville Town Center and Corridor Plan is to enable the town and the citizens to take the next steps towards an enhanced and revitalized downtown. Some of these steps are process oriented; others are directly project related ... Appendix -- Cost Estimates It is important to understand that these are February 2007 Construction Cost Estimates, based on recently completed infrastructure and street construction. As such they provide a reliable basis; but they need to be increased to include appropriate Town of Eatonville administrative costs as well as an allowance for escalation. Escalation has been a major factor in construction costs for the past five years. In Eatonville, the current Carter Street improvements were identified in the 2000 Community Action Plan but are only now about to go into construction. Cost escalation over that 7-year period has severely constrained the scope and quality of the final project ... Appendix -- Funding Sources More detailed information about each funding source from Chapter 7 is outlined the here, including, websites, contact names, and deadlines ...