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SECTION 7: DOWNTOWN PARIS <br />1. Introduction. <br />Paris has an important historic downtown, which continues to serve as a focal point for the citizens <br />within the city and the region. The Paris downtown is filled with social, cultural, economic, and <br />architectural amenities and potentials. Currently city staff, in conjunction with citizens and business <br />input, Lamar County Historical Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, Main Street <br />Advisory Board, Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council are strongly committed to the <br />preservation, enhancement, and upgrading of the many variables and elements that comprise Paris' <br />downtown. The current multi -faceted Paris Downtown Plan is included in this Section 6. <br />The Paris Downtown Area has been referenced in all the city's comprehensive plans, thereby <br />reinforcing the perspective of the city planners that prepared these plans of the long-standing <br />importance and relevance of Paris' downtown. An example from the 1966 Comprehensive Plan <br />states: "Everyone in Paris should have an interest in retaining the Downtown Area as a vigorous center <br />of retail, service, and other business activities." These words ring true today, even after the more <br />than fifty years since they were stated. <br />2. The Importance of a Downtown Plan for Paris. <br />The complexity of Paris', or any other, downtown requires special planning attention. Downtowns <br />typically contain a variety of public and private uses, which oftentimes require different service and <br />marketing procedures and actions. Downtown planning aids in ensuring new investment and <br />development opportunities and helps to maintain what is already in place. <br />Downtowns consist of numerous publicly and privately owned parcels of land and buildings. Unlike <br />newer shopping centers and business or industrial parks, which are often owned and managed by a <br />single entity, a downtown has many owners and managers. Therefore, any successful downtown <br />depends upon cooperation between property owners, tenants, and their users to meet their needs for <br />transportation, utility service, market exposure, and public services. Further, it is imperative that <br />downtown property owners and tenants coordinate with municipal officials to keep apprised of city <br />requirements as well as municipal -oriented activities and opportunities. As well, it is well documented <br />that successful American downtowns—regardless of size—have and continue to obtain the <br />commitment to and support of their success through their local city governments, including staffs, <br />boards and commissions, and city councils. This need for downtown coordination among many <br />entities underlies the following reasons to prepare and implement a downtown plan: <br />(A) Establish a Vision for the Future. The older building stock, often available spaces, and pedestrian <br />scale of development can make downtowns attractive areas for dining, entertainment, shopping, <br />and to an increasing degree, housing. A downtown plan serves to describe and reinforce the <br />worth, role, and future of the downtown to the community. It gives guidance to existing and <br />future owners, developers, and users of downtown as to how their property or service fits into the <br />present and future of the area. <br />17 <br />