He said Thursday's workshop, attended by 30 to 40 people including new council chief executive Geoff Williams, was extremely positive. Some of the topics discussed included perceived safety issues and the "tired look" of the CBD.
"It's slightly undernourished, neglected, difficult to negotiate. It was done in the 1990s," he said. "It's the new millennium. It's time to take another look at it."
He said there was no way the empty shops would all be filled again, so it was time to look at alternative uses for the space. "We need to have community input as well. [We have] one little area which is looking neglected ... we need to scrub it up."
Nick Dallimore, manager of the council's new Inner City Enterprises (ICE) unit, said the formation of the Inner City Focus Group and this week's workshop had given ongoing revitalisation plans a real boost.
"I came away with a big grin on my face," he said. "Everyone is taking ownership and mucking in ... rolling up their sleeves and doing what they can do."
He said the council couldn't fix the problem by itself but with a whole community approach Rotorua could "take back the inner city".
Mr Dallimore said there were simple things that could be done immediately, such as retailers cleaning up their shop frontages and the council giving CBD gardens a lift. Lighting levels would also be looked at, and the council would work closely with city guardians, security firms and police, among others, he said.
In the next couple of weeks a campaign was planned to get the whole community involved. "Local pride is bigger than just the inner city, but it's a good place to start."
Chamber of Commerce chief executive Roger Gordon said he was encouraged by the work going on to develop a positive strategy for change.
"I am hoping we will see some major innovative changes to the CBD in the near future, a more optimistic view than I have held for the past few years."