The Mason Mile Master Plan has been in the works since 2018. But for local restaurant owner Todd Hudson, the dreams of a revitalized downtown in Mason began much earlier.
"This is something I've been waiting on for 20 years. To come out here and to see the city finally do this and have the whole community behind us and to be able to get to the point where we are today, where we can actually start talking about how we're going to do it," Hudson said.
Hudson owns Wildflower Cafe along Mason's East Main Street. He said improvements to downtown will be a boost to everyone in the area known as the Mason Mile.
"It's a rising tide thing for us," Hudson said.
Following Mason's City Council meeting Monday night, that dream became a little closer to reality.
"We are just insanely excited about it," Hudson said.
WATCH: How the local chamber describes the immediate impact of the Mason Mile Master Plan
The mayor and council members adopted the master plan and zoning updates. One council member called the plan a "great playbook" for changes in Mason moving forward.
The master plan has five key themes regarding implementing the vision: aesthetics, promotions, placemaking, development and organizational management.
The full September draft breaks each area of the downtown corridor into sections. There are renderings of where new businesses, updated sidewalks, diverse housing options and bike paths could be under the new plan.
Sherry Taylor, president and CEO of the Mason Deerfield Chamber Community Development Corporation (MADECDC), explained the immediate impact of the council adopting the plan and zoning.
"Now, if people want to make improvements to their buildings, they could start now. It's a very clear framework of what you can and can't do," Taylor said. "Infrastructure, roadways, sidewalk improvements, things like that, may take a little more time."
Taylor said the master plan will act as a guideline for any future updates to areas from Tylersville Road to Heritage Oaks Park.
"There are functional subareas in the neighborhood that align to the character for each area of the neighborhood. Now that allows, essentially for someone to come in and do a new investment, and they know very clearly, objectively what they can and can't do," Taylor said.
As the plan begins to take shape, Hudson said he believes certain improvements need to be addressed in his corner of downtown Mason.
"For me, if we bury the power lines and we clean up the sidewalks and maybe put in some public parking," Hudson said.
