Who Is It?Havasu's Next “Pioneer?”

LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ - There’s a new special purpose zoning district in Lake Havasu City. The council voted in full agreement last night -- 7-0 showing solidarity for hopeful economic development to revitalize Main Street. (It’s primarily the section of McCulloch Boulevard between Acoma and Smoketree, the original center of the city.) The ordinance allows mixed use development and is expected to offer new opportunities for developers. However, who is stepping forward first? That’s the big question Jim Salscheider, Executive Director of Lake Havasu City Main Street wants answered. He believes the individual or group that takes the initiative will be a true “pioneer” and another Robert McCulloch.This morning, Salscheider told TSN, “the mall will impact downtown,” so he says he’s going to go to Flagstaff and see what lessons it learned from changes 12 years ago that affected the downtown area and the city “managed to revitalize it.” He wants to know what worked and what didn’t. Salscheider believes the city must decide “whether to put every nickel into the sewer or make some investments in our community.” Finally, Salscheider says the first developer who comes with significant plans for revitalizing Main Street must be given concessions by the city. He says it will spur other development and pave the way for the future.