ROGERS -- A new downtown organization focused on development downtown was announced by chamber officials during a City Council meeting Tuesday.
Downtown Rogers Inc. will partner with public and private entities to implement the downtown plan, Raymond Burns, Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce president said.
"As we began going through this downtown master plan process it became apparent there were going to be some moving parts and we felt in order to do downtown justice we needed to charter a new organization," Burns said.
The City Council approved the plan last month. The plan was created by Gateway Planning of Texas. It took about 18-months to develop the plan.
Burns said Downtown Rogers will not replace other organizations already active downtown such as Main Street Rogers or the Historic Commission. He said it will focus on promoting the development of downtown instead of events and preservation.
"When someone has an interest in investing downtown they can come to this organization," Burns said. "We will help show them locations and zoning requirements."
Representatives with the organization also can help property owners invest, Burns said.
"We have heard over and over again we need to have someone who will wake up and go to bed with the downtown plan," Burns said. "That is what this will be."
Goals and objectives will be similar to the chamber's but with a specific focus on downtown Rogers, Burns said.
Mayor Greg Hines said the decision to create the organization was made with the help of officials from multiple entities.
"There has been a lot of behind the scenes work to figure out how to move forward," Hines said.
City officials expect to see a large amount of interest in developing downtown as the plan is further implemented, Hines said. He said a full-time position is needed to field interested parties.
The city is in the process of developing a job description for the person who could lead Downtown Rogers, Hines said. He said it's likely the city will fund a "significant" portion of this person's salary.
Hines said the position could be filled by the end of the year.
Marge Wolf, City Council member, offered her support of the new organization during the meeting.
"This is an excellent future vision for downtown," Wolf said.
Burns said the chamber plans to help the organization get on its feet. He said it should be able to stand on its own in about four to five years.
"Our goal is to grow it and make it strong," Burns said.
A board will be picked for the organization in upcoming weeks, Burns said.
NW News on 08/26/2015