New, old clash in Wash. city

By JOE CHAPMAN
TRI-CITY HERALD

PASCO, Wash. -- With its Latino character and small-business atmosphere, downtown Pasco has a personality like no other part of the Tri-Cities.

It has a regional customer base, attracting shoppers from Walla Walla, Moses Lake and Yakima who come for the zapaterias, mueblerias and panaderias -- shoe stores, furniture stores and bakeries -- and other offerings.

The smell of bread and the bustle of commerce fill its streets late into most evenings, along with motorists, pedestrians and cars parked curbside.

The scene evolved 10 to 25 years ago after the rise of regional shopping centers emptied downtown buildings. Hispanic entrepreneurs found opportunity in vacant buildings and low rents.

But for all it has to offer, merchants, the city and its residents want more, and how to fulfill that longing is a conversation that's likely to play out over the rest of this year.

The Pasco City Council put developing a plan for downtown revitalization on its set of two-year goals last year.

"It one time was a Mecca of commerce for the entire Columbia Basin," Pasco Mayor Joyce Olson recalled. "Downtown Pasco was where people would travel for all of their shopping.

"We're not trying to create a downtown Pasco to be anything like it was back in its day," Olson said. "But I personally would like to see if there's any historical character or ambiance that could possibly be restored that could work toward revitalization."

Rhonda Alberts, a board member of the Pasco Downtown Development Association, said she would like to see more services downtown, particularly restaurants.

"To have more people come downtown, you have to have more restaurants," she said.

Take Road 68, for instance, where restaurants are a major attraction, Alberts said. In downtown Pasco, they could bring in customers from Lourdes Medical Center and city hall, traffic that currently goes elsewhere, she said.

It's not that there isn't anything new downtown. There are many businesses that have opened or fixed up their storefronts in the past three years.

At the corner of Fourth Avenue and Lewis Street, Lixsandro Villafan has been coordinating a makeover of his furniture store, La Estrella Muebleria, since his family's corporation opened it nine months ago.

They were attracted to Pasco's fast growth and large Hispanic population. The move has paid off so well, Villafan said, the company is using revenue from the Pasco store to subsidize its Portland store, he said.

"We're doing great here. We're one of the furniture stores that hasn't reported any losses in the area," he boasted. "And why? Because people are attracted to something that looks nice."

But for every new shop in downtown, there's a vacant one, and for every new coat of paint, there's a broken window or cracked sidewalk. The affordable rents continue to attract new business owners, but staying open is a challenge and turnover is high.

Gloria Ochoa, whose family was among the first Latinos to open a store downtown 25 years ago, said the entrepreneurs there need better education about running a business.

Some don't know basic concepts about business licenses and reporting taxes, she said. And though their goods attract Latinos, the businesses would benefit by also marketing to Anglos, she said.

Even though she grew up in downtown Pasco, she's even had trouble herself shopping there when looking for something specific, she said. "There's no directory, there's no ads. ... It's not user-friendly."

Some resources have been available to downtown businesses through the city, Columbia Basin College and organizations such as the PDDA and the Small Business Development Center.

Just last week, the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the first session of a six-part business certificate program at Columbia Basin College. The sessions are from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every other Wednesday through April 29.

But for business owners like Elizabeth Lopez, owner of Exotic Pair Boutique in downtown Pasco, those programs can be difficult to attend. She's taken a few English classes, but she doesn't have a car and can't always get to CBC.

She's among the owners who could use some help. After only eight months in business, her women's shoe store is struggling, she said. She said she'll do whatever it takes to keep her doors open, and she's hoping the federal stimulus package for banks makes it easier to get a loan.

The PDDA, which has been active since 1984, continues to operate the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and the annual Fiery Foods Festival and Farmers Market in downtown.

But the working relationship between the organization and the city has become strained in recent years, despite personal connections between PDDA volunteers and the staff at city hall. The PDDA hopes to increase its opportunities for funding by its pending application for a 501-3c designation as a nonprofit corporation.

Alberts, a past president of the PDDA whose husband works for the city, said the organization will benefit from separating itself from the city. Sometimes the organization's work with businesses is hindered by the perception it's just an extension of the city, she said.

Charting a path on its own, the city is exploring several options for its role in downtown. One would be creating a revitalization plan through the city planning commission and encouraging downtown businesses to get more involved.

City planners should make an effort to get input from the businesses, Olson said. But given the high turnover of businesses, the plan also should take a bigger approach, she said.

"Yes, it does need to involve people who are down there right now, but we really have to look beyond that," Olson said. "I don't know that the people who are down there now will be the same businesses that are going to be there a year from now."

More than just putting together a plan, the city may create a new organization, called a public development authority, to oversee and implement revitalization programs. An example of such an organization is the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, which is coordinating a voter-approved $68 million project to renovate and upgrade the Seattle market starting in April.

Another kind of organization could be a community renewal authority with power to create local improvement districts, borrow money and buy and develop properties.

Bob Wlaznak, president of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul in Pasco, which owns downtown storage and distribution space for its food bank, isn't sure the city needs to do anything to change the environment downtown.

"The kinds of businesses coming in, they have nothing but a good idea and the willingness to work hard. The good ol' American dream, right?" Wlaznak said.

"And they're looking for a cheap place they can fix up and get a business started and move out to the mall or wherever. You see that all over downtown Pasco, and I think it's exciting, myself."