Pasco has been making plans to revitalize the downtown area for the past 13 years but nothing has come from these plans. Because of the lack of activity in the downtown revitalization efforts the Pasco City Council has decided to create a Pasco Downtown Development Association. This association will be partnering with Columbia Basin College and the Pasco City Council to provide financial support for remodels and education and business plan aid. This is the third plan that has been created and is being met by some skepticism. Councilwoman Rebecca Francik says that having a plan isn’t enough, she wants to see something aggressive happen with the plan.
The city council would like to see the downtown Pasco area become a Hispanic commercial district. However this won’t happen until something happens with the parking. Currently there is not enough parking to accommodate for the main shopping day in that area, which is Sunday. If there isn’t enough parking for the local residents who frequent the area then the desire to create a Hispanic commercial district will have to be put on hold. The city council is hoping to draw shoppers from all over the area once they are able to deal with the parking issue.
The Pasco city council is also focusing on the city’s water rights shortage and they are also looking into curbside recycling for Pasco residents. Pasco is currently borrowing water from quad-city water rights which they are going to have to pay back. It had been thought by the city that the Department of Ecology would solve the water shortage problem but that seems to have gone away. Water rights need to be taken care of before anything happens with the downtown development can be looked at further. Curbside recycling has not been added to the budget for the biennium but that doesn’t mean they are throwing it out. The city will be asking Basin Desposal Inc., who takes care of the city’s garbage, to create and present a curbside recycling proposal. About 63% of Pasco residents indicated they would support a curbside recycling program is it meant a $4 or $5 charge.
Pasco Real Estate Agents Joe and Colleen Lane
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