By Heather Rule

In the 1960s, Le Sueur vacated one block of Main Street in its downtown area to create a pedestrian mall closed to vehicle traffic. Thirty years later, it wasn’t benefiting the community the way it once did. In the 1990s, the city developed a plan to reconnect the north and south portions of downtown to help alleviate the issues.

But the expensive project was put on hold until a revamp of Le Sueur’s comprehensive plan in 2017.

“The focus of that was generally on connectedness,” said Joe Roby, Le Sueur city administrator. “That was the theme. That our downtown is not connected.”

Le Sueur needed to reopen Main Street to vehicle traffic, reestablish a right of way, focus on walkability and bikeability, and reconnect the downtown area.

A major overhaul

The project was essentially a complete demolition and reconstruction of one city block. The city also added visually appealing streetscaping with historic elements, including a large painted river running across Main Street.

Construction included a new street surface, sidewalks, gardens, and a large patio on the east side of the street. The renovated area officially opened in late 2021. “The businesses on both the west and east side are thriving,” Roby said. “I’ve seen increased activity, and it’s really reestablished this holistic view of downtown.

“It’s very much alive. The community loves it. It’s done a lot for the establishment of local businesses, bringing new jobs into downtown, and creating a downtown that the community itself can really be proud of, which for a long time it was not. It was an eyesore. It was a really economically challenged area, and it has this life to it now, which is awesome.”

A costly but impactful investment

The entire project cost north of $3 million — “which is a lot of money for one block,” Roby acknowledged. But that total included acquiring the right of way, demolishing part of the mall, reconstructing Main Street, adding special treatments and streetscapes, and assisting with the mall facade.

For context, the estimated cost of the project when the city considered it in the mid-1990s was more than $2 million. Since the transformation was completed, the feedback has been very positive.

Spurring business and beautification

Downtown businesses along this stretch of street saw significantly improved visibility. The project also added more access to parking for these businesses. As the street received a facelift, many businesses followed suit, making improvements to their own properties, such as updating facades.

The project has “really been a tool to beautify the rest of downtown and has spurred improvements along the downtown corridor,” Roby said.

The area — one block between Bridge and Ferry streets — is informally known as “Festival Street.” The community appreciates how the space can now be used for outdoor gatherings, events, festivals, and parades.

The power of an active comprehensive plan

Every city is different, but for a project like this, Roby said having an up-to-date comprehensive plan made all the difference for Le Sueur. The plan considered the entire community, what it should look like, and where it was headed. Keeping that plan at the forefront with the City Council, school district, and local businesses is important, he added.

A comprehensive plan that calls for a robust, healthy downtown fits well with efforts like the Main Street revitalization. It can lay the groundwork for future projects.

“None of that would be possible without an updated comprehensive plan, and keeping that comprehensive plan in front of the community as often as possible,” Roby said. “I think a lot of communities, Le Sueur included, we can be guilty of having a great idea, getting a master plan done or a design document down, and saying, ‘OK, all we need to do now is fundraise,’ or ‘all we need to do now is take this next big leap of faith, find some funding and make this happen.’ And the plan gets shelved.”

From vision to action

Roby encourages other cities not to be afraid to take those plans off the shelf and keep them top-of-mind with city officials, business owners, and civic leaders. The plans provide a strong foundation for projects like the one completed on Main Street.

“Because our comprehensive plan is our guide to how we want our community to be holistically 15, 20, 30 years from now,” Roby said. “Without that, a project like this would be that much harder to do, or to justify.”

Heather Rule is a freelance writer.