UPDATE from 11pm
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Huntington City Council on Monday night passed an ordinance geared toward revitalizing an alley to connect downtown shopping areas.

ORIGINAL STORY
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Building bridges in Huntington's downtown for better business -- that's the hope of a new project aimed at revitalizing an alley connecting two of the city's shopping destinations.

It's a type of project that's been done in other parts of the city with great success.

The project will take place in the alley behind Mack and Dave's between 10th and 11th streets. The hope is revitalizing the alley will send more people from Pullman Square to the Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitor's Bureau to learn what else Huntington has to offer.

Shop owners in Heritage Village are also hoping for a boost to what's sometimes called a ghost town.

"The foot traffic is slow right now," said Shawn Bresnahan, owner of WV Rib Station. "But, when we get a tour group in, we tell them to park their cars here and walk over to Pullman Square. They do. So, fixing up the alley will only make that walk better."

Pullman Square has done wonders for other parts of the city, generating $8 million in new construction around the complex. That includes Pet Palace, the renovation of the Keen's Jewelers building in to luxury condos, new facades on buildings and a whole string of new renovation along 3rd Avenue.

Vickie Goodson-Scott has operated Vic's Ivy Cuisine on the 9th Street Plaza since 2003. It was her idea to revamp the two blocks of 9th Street from one-way to two-way traffic. That project was completed three years ago. While there are still empty storefronts all around, Goodson-Scott still considers it a success.

"It has been a success," she said. "There is more parking, the streets are cleaning. There are a lot of pluses beyond the two-way traffic."

The city would use a $160,000 grant in federal stimulus funds to pay for the project and another $40,000 in Empowerment Zone match funds. Huntington City Council will vote on whether or not to accept the money at Monday night's meeting.