Sherman Downtown Now! Streetscape Enhancement Project Awarded $353,978

AUSTIN – The Texas Transportation Commission today approved $76 million in funding for 54 transportation-related enhancement projects. One of the projects will help to liven up downtown Sherman. Read more here.

Sherman Downtown Now! Streetscape Enhancement Project Awarded $49,355

The O.D. Mayor foundation believes in our cause, and has honored us with their challenge grant! This contribution will have a huge impact on our upcoming streetscape enhancement project. Check back frequently for more developments.

Facebook Cause Page Reaches 400 Members!

More and more people are becoming part of our cause! Check it out on facebook.

Puzzle pieces need to come together to invigorate downtown Sherman

By Kathy Williams
Originally published in the Herald Democrat, Sunday, January 3, 2010

Creating a vibrant downtown Sherman environment that invites residents, shoppers and investors to spend time and money there has remained an un-worked puzzle since the early 1960s. Perhaps that’s because various groups and individuals had ideas, and now and then bits of funding, but neither a unified, clear picture to divide into usable pieces nor a framework in which to put them. Read the article here.

Sherman Council approves downtown project

By Kathy Williams
Originally published in the Herald Democrat, Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

SHERMAN — The City Council nominated Monday a downtown beautification project for state funding and listened to staff reports outlining improved fire safety and how to market city attractions.

Councilors basked in compliment after compliment that residents paid to city staff effectiveness and collaboration with private efforts and entities. Councilor Joe Smith noted that five or six residents had made such comments, and asked City Manager George Olson to pass along compliments to the staff. Councilor Cary Wacker said that the collaboration efforts had led to a great spirit in the community of late… To read the full text, click here.

Downtown, Everything’s waiting for you…

By April Patterson
Originally published in Texoma Today, Fall/Winter 2009, Vol. 1 No. 1

When you’re alone
And life is making you lonely,
You can always go downtown

When you’ve got worries,
All the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown, things’ll be great when you’re
Downtown, no finer place for sure,
Downtown, everything’s waiting for you

Tony Hatch’s lyrics for “Downtown” are simple, yet poignant. There’s something special about the excitement of a downtown, no matter the size or geographic location. The downtowns of Chicago or New York City can remind you how big the world is, and how small life’s problems really are. Downtowns like those in Fredericksburg, Texas, or Durango, Colo., might remind you of simpler times like sharing an ice cream cone with the kids or holding hands with your sweetheart while you stroll around the square.

“Cities large and small see a healthy downtown as integral to their overall heritage, tax base, sense of community and place, identity, economic development appeal, and image,” according to an article in Downtown Idea Exchange, a newsletter published by the Downtown Research and Development Center. The character of a downtown influences the way people feel about their own city, in addition to those they visit or frequent.

What about Sherman’s downtown? What kind of character does it have? That’s all in the eye of the beholder, according to David Baca and Jared Tredway, both of David Baca Studio, an architectural firm here in Sherman.

David and Jared are members of Downtown Sherman Preservation & Revitalization, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving, promoting, and revitalizing downtown Sherman. They’ve been members of the group for less than a year, and are spearheading an effort – a movement really – to invigorate downtown Sherman by renewing its character, adding “green” space, and making it friendly for business services, retail, and housing alike.

David and Jared both see great potential for downtown Sherman, not only as residents of the city, but as architects and developers. They have the background and development resources to know what it takes for downtown to reach its potential; but what is that potential? Who decides what downtown Sherman should be or could be? Who makes that happen? Those are simple questions that don’t have simple answers. Through research, information-gathering, creative thinking, and lots of coffee, David and Jared helped DSP&R create a vision for downtown. Now planning is underway, and the group is taking steps to begin the fulfillment of that vision.

With full support and backing from DSP&R, David and Jared are recruiting people who believe in this initiative, aptly named “Sherman Downtown Now!” On a rainy October morning, I interviewed David and Jared in their studio on the fifth floor of the Boardwalk Building, at the northwest corner of Travis and Houston streets in downtown Sherman. Armed with fresh cups of coffee (and an amazing view of the downtown square), we had a candid discussion about their inspiration, the vision for downtown, the Sherman community, and what it will take to see Sherman Downtown Now!

ST: So how did this whole process get started?
D: I think it was a culmination after two years of frustration looking at the existing downtown, seeing the potential, but also seeing that other people didn’t see that potential. There was this idea that in order to have a good time you had to go to another city or another downtown. There’s a lot of potential that’s already here, there’s a lot of architecture, a lot of raw land, but we were seeing there wasn’t really a vision for anything. We were also frustrated with a lot of the myths. … We didn’t know where we were going to go with this, but we put together an image of Travis Street that had trees and the curbs were rebuilt to accept trees and it was sitting on the desk. A potential client walked in, saw the picture, and asked us about it. He got us in touch with John Arriazola (owner of Lupe’s Tamale’s downtown), he invited us to a DSP&R meeting, and this all took off within about a month.

ST: What are some of those myths about downtown you referred to?
D: One myth is that there’s not enough parking downtown. We would drive around and notice parking places and parking lots that were not full; also paved areas that were not labeled parking areas. There’s a significant amount of parking downtown but it just might not be in front of the building where you want to go. That’s the second myth – there may be some parking downtown but it’s too far away. It’s a matter of perception. When you compare downtown parking to parking at Wal-Mart or Target, you realize you’re parking farther away and walking even more at those stores. It’s all perception – you can’t physically see where you’re going.
J: In suburban development like a Target or Wal-Mart, the parking is specifically owned and connected to the destination, and that is really the only difference.
D: The third myth is the only way we’ll ever see shops in the area is if we can get all of the lawyers out, but the reality is that it’s the attorneys that are actually adding life to the downtown at this point. The amount of space that’s taken on the first floor of downtown by attorneys is only ¼ of the square, ¾ is taken up by retail or other types of offices. So why should they move out of their building if other buildings are sitting empty? And the fourth myth is that there is this idea that nobody wants to go downtown, but there is a segment of the population that truly desire an urban experience and there’s a void now. We see that in places like McKinney and Southlake, and we see there’s a nationwide resurgence to bring life back downtown.

ST: So then DSP&R asked you to present your ideas at one of the meetings. How did you go about putting this presentation together?
D: We started the presentation like we normally would with any other plan, so we had to ask the basic questions. We can’t move forward with a plan until we have a vision – what is going to be Sherman’s vision and unique identity? We went from there, and talked about all the things that are inherent to the downtown neighborhood, and Jared and I talked about some of the ideas that we put in the plan, but ultimately we want a collective voice where people come and give their input to what they want to see downtown. The ideas that we put in the presentation were there simply to spur excitement and to spur creative ideas within everyone in the group. We simply looked at precedent from other cities that are successful, and we also wanted to back that up with empirical data, which is put in the form of SmartCode. SmartCode was put together by an organization that went out and visited towns across America and Europe and looked at successful towns, what were those attributes, how the streets were built, how the buildings are designed, etc. Then they put all of this collective data in one book, and wrote ordinances that are not a strict set of rules, but rather guidelines, that each city asks the questions, “How do we want our city to look? How do we go about doing that?”
J: SmartCode tells you the most effective methods for achieving the character you desire.

ST: In your presentation, you showed many images, including what parts of downtown might look like with trees, pavers, or even a closed-off street. How does that help get across your messages or ideas?
J: We have found in our architectural work that images are the most effective way to communicate architectural ideas, especially when the subject matter is unique, groundbreaking, or unexpected. People are often afraid or apprehensive until you present them with a three-dimensional graphic, or they may simply not understand what you’re saying without it. The comparative studies, like the parking lots, really make people begin to understand visually the scale relationship, distances, etc.
D: It solidifies what we’re visually saying. By human nature, we’re visual people, and we’re moved by images all the time. There’s a way to present things that actually invokes emotion and a certain feeling.
J: Those images also help people from feeling defeated or overwhelmed.

ST: You presented these ideas and your vision many times, to several different groups. What was the overall reaction to the presentation?
D: I think there was an immediate buzz of excitement. I think what we presented visually, that people could tangibly grab a hold of a vision and say, “OK this can be done, it’s not as difficult as we thought.” After that Wall Street photo was shown, there was sort of a hush, and then all of this chatter. It set up this immediate excitement and I think people left talking about it each time. … We’re not reinventing the wheel, it’s old news, but it’s not old news to Sherman.
J: There is a lot to say about community reaction. It’s most interesting to divide people into categories. There’s one category of people who think it’s great and would love to see it, but here are all the reasons why you’ll never make it happen … this can’t work in Sherman because … I would love to help but I just don’t have the time … The second category is the group of people that we appreciate the most – those who are gung ho and immediately ask what can I do to help? And they, like us, can find just as many ways of making it happen as excuses for it not to happen. At the end of the day, we believe it’s simply a choice – decide it’s going to happen or give up – and we’ve decided that it’s going to happen. … Margaret Meade, a cultural anthropologist, said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Changing the world is taking a look at what is and asking “What can it be?” To make a change you find a few people who come together and say, “I think it could be better.”
D: It’s also an aspiration to something higher. Even in the whole process, I don’t think we’ll have hundreds of people coming to help. I think we have hundreds of people in support, but they won’t necessarily come to help. It will just be a small group of citizens that makes it happen.
J: Of all the presentations and all our interactions, there’s one kind of person we’ve never experienced, and that’s anyone who hasn’t liked the idea, from city government, all the way to business owners and residents.
D: There may be naysayers who say it can’t happen, but no one doesn’t want it to happen. I think the reality is the only things that will stop it from happening are ourselves.

ST: Speaking of making it happen, how can people get involved in the process of implementing this vision?
D: We have four ways that people can get involved, which are through four committees through DSP&R: 1. Membership, which involves recruiting new members to DSP&R and educating them about Sherman Downtown Now! 2. Development, which involves marketing materials, marketing downtown, financial development, and getting people to donate to the initiative. 3. Planning, which involves designing the plan, physical drawing, plus developing ordinances that we can submit to the city to develop an overlay that can achieve the kind of results we want. 4. Programming, which would serve to organize downtown events in conjunction with the Tourism Dept. and other arts and cultural institutions, and develop programs to serve downtown merchants, like professional development programs.
J: Where do we go from here? The main thing for DSP&R is to greatly expand its membership. Then the next thing is to move forward with the beginning stages of aesthetic enhancements.

ST: What will be the role of DSP&R in all of this?
D: I think the hope out of all of this and the vision for DSP&R is that it becomes an organization that is dedicated to all of downtown; businesses will see there’s a tangible benefit to being a member of DSP&R – they are assisting in the development, promotion, and real estate of downtown. It would be expanding the role of downtown compared to what it’s been in the past – it would be much more involved in the daily aspects of downtown business.

ST: Why are the two of you doing this? What motivates you to donate all this time, effort and planning?
D: The answer I always give is that Sherman is my hometown and I see the potential that the downtown has. I look at places that are nearby and have revitalized downtown, and I look at our downtown which hasn’t arrived yet. Our downtown has so much potential, even more potential than many of the downtowns nearby, and question came to me, “Well why can’t we do it here?” I’m from here, I’ll probably always be here. I want to see it grow and expand for people to enjoy.
J: I have been very fortunate to have traveled to great cities in the U.S. as well as in Europe, and coincidentally with my education as a designer became aware of the impact the built environment can have on the quality of our daily lives. Many of the cities I visited are heavily visited as vacation destinations, but there are also people who live there and enjoy that way of life daily. I would like to give the people of this community the opportunity to experience a vibrant urban life – experience as simple as passing friends on the street, meeting someone for a cocktail, or shopping without using their car. It may not be the life for everyone all the time, but at least it would be available.

The Downtown Dilemma

By Edward Southerland
Originally published in Texoma Living, July/August 2009

“The lights are much brighter there /
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares /
So go downtown, things’ll be great when you’re /
Downtown—no finer place, for sure /
Downtown—everything’s waiting for you.”

In 1964, when Petula Clark sang about downtown, people all over the world knew exactly what the song was about. The record was a huge hit in England, France, Germany, Italy and the United States. Today one would be hard pressed to find a downtown in most middle sized-American cities that would fit the words of the song.

Sherman designers David Baca and Jared Tredway are not old enough to remember when Sherman’s downtown was the center of economic and social activity. But they have seen successful town centers and mixed-use developments in cities as close by as McKinney and as far away as Germany. They want our cities in general and Sherman in specific to recapture the bustle and buzz that made downtowns exciting and vibrant places for past generations.

Baca and Tredway are taking the point for a group of Sherman residents, many in the generation that will provide the community’s leadership in the next decade, who are seriously asking why a modern lifestyle with housing, shops, services and the myriad other things that make life more than just existing can’t flourish in a small-city urban environment. After all, it used to.

Downtown Sherman, once the center of business and retail commerce in Grayson County, now seems more like a nice office park with a handful of specialty shops. At five o’clock, the professionals, lawyers mostly, drawn to the proximity of the courthouse, close up shop and go home, and downtown is all but deserted. Apart from a few lingering shoppers at Kelly Square or a handful of stray theater goers looking in vain for a place to eat before the curtain goes up at Kidd-Key or the Finley Playhouse, the square is empty.

The group envisions someplace different, a place where town homes a block off Travis Street boast a mix of college students, professionals, and retirees. Cafes and shops are close to your front door, and going from one place to another means passing a few neighbors along the street, rather than driving alone in your car.

Over the last half-century, development in Sherman has focused primarily on the suburban, as retail shops and restaurants spread out along suburban streets. Baca and Tredway want to reverse that trend and bring downtown back into the mix of life in the city.

With the help and support of the Downtown Sherman Preservation and Revitalization organization, the two designers are working on a plan for the renewed development of the downtown neighborhood. Their plan closely examines the downtown in areas such as land and building use, landscape and streetscape design, and architectural and landscape requirements.

In the past, small gestures and efforts of individual business owners have either failed or fizzled out;but this plan is to be the result of a collaborative effort in which local owners, residents, realtors, developers, and the municipal government come together to develop a coherent and deliberate long-term development strategy.

Already garnering the support of local government, business members, and downtown building owners, the DSP&R hopes that implementation of the plan for the mixed-use urban renewal of downtown will make visiting, working, or living in downtown Sherman a delightful and sought-after experience.

Community members who attended the recent forums held by Kendig Keast Collaborative, a national urban planning firm and the authors of the city’s master plan draft, reaffirmed the importance of the downtown’s success, and with the federal government proposing huge spending initiatives, the time seems propitious for moving forward with initiative.

Baca, Tredway, and the others who are pressing the idea of new possibilities in Sherman’s Original Town Center, are taking the lead, and Texoma Living! wants to provide a platform to expand and address these ideas for the future of both Sherman and Denison, as well as all of Grayson County. In future issues we will be reporting on these efforts and we urge our readers to learn more and share their ideas with us and their fellow citizens.