Design: Getting the town in top physical shape.

An inviting atmosphere conveys a positive visual message about the downtown area and what it has to offer. Design activities include instilling good maintenance practices, as well as enhancing the physical appearance of the town and creating new productive commercial or residential space by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, dev eloping sensible design management systems, and long-term planning.

Objective One: Improve overall maintenance for the town.

In general, downtown Bandon is well-maintained and inviting, but all towns have issues and opportunities for improvement. It can be helpful to have an outside set of eyes to look at the town and note opportunities for additional care. A local team should consistently look at opportunities for improving the town and identifying nagging maintenance issues before they become costly repairs for public entities and business or property owners.

Actions:

• Conduct visual assessment of downtown by outside perspective
• Volunteer “walkabout” group to identify maintenance and other issues downtown.
• Community-wide cleanup.

 Objective Two: Improve the visual and physical impression of businesses.

Downtown Bandon has a lot of terrific businesses that do an excellent job with interior visual merchandising. Some of these do the best they can with the exteriors that they have to work with, but in many cases, the storefront design isn’t compatible with retail merchandising due to the limited amount of display area incorporated in the architecture of the buildings. And some of the downtown facades would be improved with updated trim and paint color.

Actions:

• Update façade grant guidelines
• Color pallette
• Review and make recommendations to existing guidelines and standards
• Develop design guide for new businesses
• Cleanup day (paint doors, trim)
• Flower Basket program or plant more flowers

Objective Three: Enhance the feel of the town through placemaking elements that support the sense of Relaxed Coastal Living and engage people in the district.

There are many physical amenities that attract people to Bandon such as the natural beauty of the area, the amazing coastline, and the character and charm of the compact downtown. Any future improvements should build on the existing qualities that make Bandon so special while emphasizing the quirky character that is part of the culture. Through small-scale Placemaking activities, GBA can undertake activities compatible with the existing character while encouraging people to linger longer downtown and to make locals feel like it is their backyard. This should be done with a focus on adding elements that are both family friendly and active retiree friendly.

Actions:

• Encourage community gathering places like benches and green spaces that public can use when not shopping but as social gathering places
• Parklets
• Wayfinding signage – 3 kiosks
• Design competition for high school students to paint interactive murals
• Bike racks for Highway 101
• Restroom offering baby-changing and accessible options