a. Create an Outdoor Space for Public Gatherings

1. Create a place for Sunday "promenades"

2. Create a quality location for the Farmer's Market in The Downtown Area

b. Optimize the Amount of Shade in Downtown Public Spaces

1. Utilize both permanent and temporary shade elements

c. Create a "Heart" in Downtown Las Cruces

1. Develop a new Plaza that will be connected by a pedestrian walkway to nearby neighborhoods

The umbrellas and awnings would provide permanent shade while the shade cloth across the street would be used for festivals, outdoor activities and events. Temporary barricades could also be used to close streets off when necessary. This is just one of many possibilities.

a. Make Downtown "Fun"

1. Create an environment that appeals to younger people and members of the "creative class"

2. Develop more activities at night and on the weekend

b. Create an Atmosphere of Entertainment and Socializing

1. Renovate the Rio Grande Theater

2. Encourage more nightclubs, restaurants and movie theaters

a. Attract More "Destination" Retail Establishments

1. Building on #1 ranking as "Best small town in which to do business"

2. Attract specialty boutique stores

3. Make retail stores more visible

b. Promote More Neighborhood Serving Retail

1. Attract small grocery and drug stores

5. Office

a. Attract More Office Uses to the Downtown

1. Utilize vacant buildings as high tech business "incubators" and craft/artisan manufacturing centers.

2. Encourage additional public and private sector offices in the downtown

The picture on top is how the corner of Las Cruces and Water looks now. Below is how it could look.

Notice how the awnings obliterate part of the identity of the store front.

a. Use City Owned Properties as a Catalyst for revitalization

1. Utilize the City owned So-Lo Building to stimulate Downtown revitalization.

2. Seek private investment to infill vacant publicly owned parcels

b. Build on the Prestige of the New Federal Courthouse

9. Housing

a. Create Housing in or near the "Mall"

1. Build affordable housing that will appeal to young people and seniors

2. Capitalize on the proximity of the public and charter schools in the area to attract families to the area

3. Create "loft" housing opportunities over retail

b. Build "infill"  housing in surrounding neighborhoods

a. Create a BID to Support Enhanced Security, Clean-up and Advertising

1. Establish a public perception of safety in the downtown area

2. Create strategies to more effectively deal with vagrants and panhandlers in the downtown area

b. Explore partnerships between the museums, cultural organizations and NMSU to foster improvements for Downtown

c. Identify and support "pioneers" that will pave the way for others

1. University Students

2. Artists

3. Business "start-ups"

11. Downtown Design

a. Create a Distinctive and Visible "Sense of Place" for Downtown

1. "A Gathering Place"

2. "An Arts and Entertainment Center"

3. "A Cultural Center"

4. "A Niche for Boutique and Specialty Stores"

b. Reestablish the "Street Wall" Downtown

1. Eliminate "checker board" pattern of buildings through infill development

2. Create a clear view of building facades

c. Improve Lighting in Pedestrian Areas

d. Improve Signage and "Way Finding"

e. Capitalize on views to the Organ Mountains

f. Improve the Appearance of Existing Building Facades

1. Amend building codes to make rehabilitation more economically feasible

2. Create more "green space"

12. Neighborhoods

a. Enhance Pedestrian Accessibility to the Downtown from the Adjacent Neighborhoods

b. Enhance Access of Neighborhoods to Public Transportation

c. Support Residential Infill in Surrounding Neighborhoods

13. Implementation

a. Utilize "Federal Housing Money" to Leverage Housing Construction and Renovation

b. Utilize State Funds for Public Space Design and Development