Plans to revitalize downtown Marysville have been in the works for a few years and government officials are beginning to move forward with new ordinances for safety and projects to beautify the area.

During the January 23 Marysville City Council meeting, the council decided to push ahead with many projects to improve downtown. The council plans to discuss these items in more detail during future meetings.

"We just believe that it's time to start making some progress toward a revitalized downtown," said Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring.

Safety and security is a major concern to Marysville residents and business owners in the downtown area, according to Gloria Hirashima, the city's Chief Administrative Officer.

To that end they're giving police officers more tools to deal with those problems, starting with three ordinances.

The Stay out of Drug Area, or SODA, ordinance would allow judges to prohibit people convicted of drug trafficking or related illegal activity from entering designated areas. The goal is to reduce drug trafficking in areas where the city's data shows a high amount of drug-related crimes.

"When we looked at our numbers and the area we're trying to focus on, a minimum of 20-plus percent of our drug arrests are made in that area we're identifying as the downtown area," said police chief Richard Smith.

The second ordinance gives a broader definition to lewd conduct. Police right now "can't effectively enforce the law where there are certain sorts of simulated acts, that, while somebody has not exposed themselves, it is certainly lewd and offensive," said Grant Weed, city attorney.

The last ordinance would attempt to exclude panhandlers from certain areas where there is a history of safety problems reported by pedestrians or aggressive panhandling that has alarmed drivers.

Beyond safety measures, the City Council also moved forward on items to improve the look of downtown neighborhoods.

Currently city code violations, like not removing graffiti or improper lawn maintenance, are investigated only after a complaint has been received, but a more active policy may be adopted in which the city investigates the downtown neighborhood.

Hirashima describes the area that would be affected as First Street to Eighth Street and west to I-5.

Councilmember Carmen Rasmussen had concerns about "legislating against poverty" with the active investigations.

"I have a little bit of hesitation about telling people that they have to perform certain tasks on their home that are unaffordable and that we're making that sort of lack of economic resources a reason to start citing people," said Rasmussen.

She added most of the codes are possible to follow without cost, but requested more specific information of what the city wants from the downtown neighborhood.

These projects are the start of a "real comprehensive approach to downtown revitalization," said Hirashima.

There are limitations to what the city can do right now because of the lack of funding, but city officials are going to continue searching for community input on what to prioritize.

"Basically, we've developed a menu of different parks, safety, and façade improvements for downtown," Hirashima explained.

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