The now twenty-year-old Livingston Downtown Building Owners and Business Association (LDBOBA), formerly Livingston’s Downtown Association, has recently published its Downtown Long-Term Economic Development Objectives & Priorities as an advertisement in this issue of the Park County Community Journal.
The organization’s ten objectives are research-based initiatives considered vital to the health of the downtown and city at large. It will now be looking to garner expertise from and collaborate with a wide variety of community entities in order to cooperatively achieve these goals.
So, what is an example of some research bearing on objectives three through five of the advertisement?
Historically, the interstate highway system bypassed the town where traffic once passed through its center. While this detour had obvious benefits for those on longer hauls, the design also accentuated an isolating effect as it routed traffic at three access points—exits 330, 333, and 337, all about two miles from the traditional center of Livingston.
This bypassing along I-90 has led to the demise of other historic downtown areas in places like Columbus and Belgrade, diminishing their role as commercial centers, something they had enjoyed before the I-90 interstate came along.
Research from Institute for Tourism and Recreational Research, (ITRR) at the University of Montana in Missoula, has indicated that approximately 1.9 million vehicles pass by Livingston every year. Those are potential customers for our downtown, restaurants, galleries, and other commercial enterprises. If some travelers along I-90 do turn off at exit 333, for example, only 5% visit Livingston’s downtown.
While Livingston's heart has much to offer travelers, that center point structure mitigates the contact. According to the ITRR, 83% of travelers going to Yellowstone National Park on I-90 come from the east, thus potentially giving Livingston a strong advantage over other communities west of Livingston—offering travelers lodging and recreation by looping through the core of the city before taking the cut south for the park's northern entrance. By design, sitting just 52 miles from Yellowstone, Livingston's location inspired one resident to trademark the name “Base Camp for Yellowstone” some years back.
But if travelers remain ignorant that downtown Livingston even exists, it voids that advantage. Travelers then simply turn south at exit 333, missing entirely the other riches of the beautiful, historic, and original gateway to the first national park in the world.
The LDBOBA plans to draft future articles on its objectives and priorities in the Park County Community Journal. This week it includes more information about creating a “better balance in business spaces downtown.” It is part of the dream so many share to make Livingston’s downtown commercial space just that as Livingston continues growing.
If you or your organization are interested in learning more about these efforts or furthering their advancement, have questions, or would like to partner with the LDBOBA on any of their objectives, please contact them at livingstondowntown.org.