COOS BAY — Laurie Moore has heard a lot about the Hollering Place since opening her coffee house in the heart of the Empire district.

Java Jones hosts the monthly meetings of Concerned Citizens of Empire, where the subject has become a hot topic. In between, regulars often come in for a cup of joe and a chance to share their two cents.

Moore sees progress on the project, though she knows not everyone is in her camp.

“People come in and say, ‘Oh the Hollering Place, what a joke,’” she said.

Hollering Place, at the corner of Newmark Avenue and Empire Boulevard, is the centerpiece of the once-and-future Empire waterfront. The city’s master plan envisions a public-private partnership, featuring an overlook with a retail/visitor information center atop the site’s bluff.

At the lower level, the plan has a restaurant-inn surrounded by retail shops and second-story cottages. A trail would follow the waterfront.

City officials have asked for patience, acknowledging a lot of work is needed before visible changes appear. A key task is attracting a developer who will invest in the project and lead its private-sector aspects.

The Urban Renewal Agency is expected to take some big steps at its next meeting in December. City staff members will ask the agency’s board to accept the site’s master plan, hire a consultant to market it to developers, and approve some preliminary work on the property.

“We are asking for some specific things,” said City Manager Chuck Freeman.

Moore thinks getting work started on the 4-acre site is the best thing to do.

“Show the citizens that something is happening,” she said.

One critic of the current plan is Steve Skinner, a landscape gardener who has been involved in the project from the beginning. He suggests the plan isn’t designed to meet the needs of citizens, but rather to entice businesses to the area.

“It’s not a master plan, it’s a developer’s plan,” he said.

City Councilor Stephanie Kramer can appreciate Skinner’s frustration.

“I think people think it’s not going in the same direction as the original plan,” she said. “What they need to realize is it’s just a concept.”

She noted the city will have a say about what happens with the overlook and will be able to work with a developer to make sure the site’s lower level meets the community’s expectations.

Mayor Jeff McKeown acknowledged there are some who are disappointed with the master plan, but he said that doesn’t mean the project should be held up.

“You will never be able to get exactly what everyone wants,” he said. “What we are trying to do is enhance Empire. We don’t have the money to do it exactly the way we want, so we have to find partners.”

Carolyn Slyter, a council member of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, said she is glad to see a plan developed and real progress shaping up. But she wants to make sure the area’s history is represented in the project somehow.

“They can’t just not have the tribes there,” she said.

Tom Greaves, who lives across the street from the property, said he is happy to see the project moving forward. He likes that the city is about the hire someone to solicit developers for the project, and understands the master plan is conceptual.

“We just have to have faith and hold tight,” he said.

Yet some people contend their opinions haven’t been heard. One of those is Skinner.

He said criticism seemed unwelcome, after Kramer commented publicly that she had seen too much anger at some of the meetings.

“It felt like if we disagreed with anything, it would be taken as negative,” Skinner said.

Kramer said she had no intention to silence opposition. Her concern was that some criticism in the past had come off as angry.

“I don’t think you get anywhere by doing it that way,” she said. “But I would never tell anyone not to talk.”

Moore was at the Concerned Citizens meeting where Kramer made her comment, and she says some people took the message out of context.

“To me, it sounded like, ‘Give them a break a little,’” she said.

For whatever reason, few critical comments were raised at the final master planning meeting on Nov. 6. But soon afterward, the Concerned Citizens of Empire wrote a letter that raised concerns about preserving the property’s sight lines, improving water access and recognizing the location’s history.

More comments were offered at the Urban Renewal Agency meeting on Tuesday.

Robert Sasanoff was one of the people who spoke. A retired educator and chairman of the city’s historic design review committee, he thinks the city’s master plan may not be expansive enough. Although he hasn’t seen the plan itself, he has seen a map suggesting the focus has been exclusively on the city’s property.

“A master plan is a concept and generally talks about the relationship between the site and the outside area,” he said.

He also suggested a good master plan incorporates the concerns of local residents.

Moore urges patience on the part of Empire citizens. She understands’ the city has to offer developers something to get them to invest in the project. She disagrees that the city won’t listen to residents about their concerns, noting that the agency appeared willing to move the information center so as not to obstruct the view of the bay.

“I believe the city is trying,” she said. “They just need to open up their minds.”