Downtown Monroe

With locally owned businesses, historic buildings, and proximity to neighborhoods, parks, and commercial centers, Monroe’s downtown has a distinct sense of place. Main Street, between US 2 and Madison Street is home to restaurants with diverse cuisine and a wide range of retail goods and services - all offering a small-town experience. Main Street is host to community gatherings including seasonal events and parades.

NEW! 

It is for these reasons that community leaders are excited about the opportunity to enhance its attractions with the development of a new public gathering space -- a Downtown Festival Lot. In June 2025, the City gathered public input on four preliminary concept options to transform a one-half acre site in downtown as a multi-purpose public space for community and cultural events, including public parking.  City Council reviewed the options, public and Board/Commission input, and selected its preference for Option 3. 

Please follow the "Downtown Festival Lot" link in the lefthand column for more information about this project and next steps. 

The goal for Downtown to continually thrive is a universal one addressed in several City long-range plans including our Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Master Plan. Our land use, transportation and construction codes, adopted based on policies within these long-range plans, help further this goal.

Our Downtown Master Plan, adopted in 2008, envisions Downtown Monroe as a “cohesive, yet diverse, community” that has:

• A welcoming, pedestrian-friendly, clean, vibrant atmosphere within a lush green setting.
• Community gathering space and civic buildings that offer public programs and events in the heart of downtown. 
• A strong, sustainable, year-round economy, anchored by specialty goods and services.
• Buildings of high-quality construction consistent with historic context and new development that conveys innovation while integrating into the existing historic development patterns.
• Mixed-use developments
• Reclaimed Al Borlin and Woods Creek as community assets that are focal points of downtown.
• Active community members that promote public festivals and events year-round. 

These aspirations reflected input from community members who participated in the initial development of the Plan. Since its adoption, however, Monroe has experienced more people living, working, and visiting in and around Downtown Monroe, which may create a need to update this vision.