Main St. facade plan takes shape

The Olney Economic Development Corporation hired Grossman Design Build to design new looks for downtown Olney as part of a “facade plan” to attract new businesses and tax revenue to town, OEDC executive director Tom Parker said.

The OEDC signed a contract with Grossman Design Build on June 19 to begin studying the renovation of the downtown section of Olney from Avenue B to Avenue E, east and west, and including Hamilton and Elm Streets, north and south, he said.

“This footprint will allow for planning purposes, the layout of parking, drainage, lighting, sidewalks, and building facades,” he said.

OEDC has tentatively scheduled a town hall meeting the third week of August for the public and property owners within that footprint to discuss what they would be looking for in the way of this program, he said.

OEDC has also begun conversations with Grossman to study the renovation of the Hamilton Hotel as well as the old City Hall, which houses the county offices at the corner of Hamilton Street and Grand Avenue, he said.

The Facade Plan is part of the OEDC’s wider strategy of creating a tax incremental reinvestment zone (TIRZ) along Main Street (State Highway 114) and State Highway 79 and to rehabilitate the commercial buildings within the zone.

Tax revenue from new businesses located in the TIRZ would pay for badly needed repairs and upgrades to streets and utilities.