Friends enjoy time together while shopping in downtown Medford last Saturday.

Efforts by the Downtown Medford Association to pump vitality into Main Street have sparked interest about what comes next.

“It’s fantastic, the work you’re doing downtown,” Mayor Randy Sparacino said at a recent City Council meeting.

Councilor Tim D’Alessandro said, “It is noticed, the traction you’ve gained in this community.”

With that track record, the association wants to see if downtown merchants and property owners want to take those efforts to the next level.

The association recently hired a firm to do a feasibility study to see if there is enough interest to create an economic improvement district.

Since it was formed in 2018, the association has used its limited resources to help prove its worth to the downtown.

It operates on a $96,192 annual operating budget, with financial support from the city.

“We wanted to prove, even with that shoestring budget, that we were three-times what the city provided to us,” said EJ McManus, president of the association.

The four-month, $26,000 study by Civitas should determine by spring the possible boundaries of the district, which would be similar to a homeowner’s association, and gauge support among businesses, property owners and others.

McManus said Civitas will inform the association if forming a district won’t work.

He said it requires approval from 70% or more of the businesses and property owners in the proposed district.

“We’re hoping for support,” McManus said.

He cited Bend as an example of a city that has successfully created an economic improvement district.

If approved in Medford, the money generated by the fees in the district would allow the Downtown Medford Association to help with far more events, taking on tasks such as promotion, getting permits for street closures and making sure events have the right liability insurance.

“The work that can be done by having a full-time staff would raise awareness that would make the downtown more vibrant,” said Annie Jenkins, interim executive director of the association. “What brings vitality is more programming. Right now we’re limited on programming.”

The association has helped facilitate various

efforts to liven up the downtown, including spring and summer hanging flower baskets, Bikes ‘n Brews sponsorship, holiday lights and Third Friday events.

“It’s our community,” Jenkins said. “If we want something to be great, we have to get involved. Don’t sit on the sidelines.”

In 2013, the Heart of Medford Association, one of the previous versions of a downtown association, proposed an economic improvement district, but the effort failed to gain traction with businesses.

Jenkins said the association needs a permanent executive director but that she wasn’t interested in taking on the role.

“I want to see somebody in this role who could take it to another level,” she

said.

An economic improvement district could be created just as downtown Medford finds itself on the cusp of significant changes.

The newly built 62-unit Genesis apartment complex has begun leasing spaces at the corner of Eighth and Holly streets.

A 10-year effort to rebuild the Holly Theatre could be realized by the end of the year, offering a 1,025-seat auditorium for musical events.

The Medford Urban Renewal Agency hopes to finalize an agreement that could lead to construction of a 110-room Marriott Hotel just north of Pear Blossom Park.