Main Street Revitalization

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Main Street Revitalization

• Timothy A. Cullenen, AICP
• Cornell University
• Community and Rural Development Institute

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Main Street - Anywhere

• What is a main street?

What does your main street look like?
What would you like it to be and how would it
look?
How do you accomplish that vision?
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Main Street Revitalization

• National Trust for Historic Preservation -
  National Main Street Center

• Point Program
• - Design
• Organization
• Promotion
• Economic Restructuring

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Design

• Enhancing physical appearance by
• rehabilitating historic buildings
• encouraging supportive new construction
• developing sensitive design
• long term planning

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Organization

• Building consensus and cooperation among the many
  groups who have a role in the process

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Promotion

• Marketing traditional commercial districts
  assets to
• customers
• investors
• new businesses
• local citizens
• visitors

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Economic Restructuring

• Strengthening the existing economic base while
  finding ways to expand to meet new opportunities
  and challenges from outlying development

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National Program

• The Main Street Philosophy
• comprehensive
• incremental
• self-help
• public/private partnerships
• identifying/capitalizing on existing assets
• quality
• change
• action oriented

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A Manual for Small Downtowns

• Dr. Martin Shields - Penn State University
• http//retailmarkets.aers.psu.edu
• The Manual is designed for small communities
  unable to participate in the Main Street program
  because
• too small
• lack resources and networks
• want to do it on their own

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Goals

• Revitalize downtown
• Strengthen the local economy
• Improve the local quality of life
• Foster volunteerism
• Develop local leadership

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Lets Build a Downtown
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Port Buelow

• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats

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Workgroups

• Local Business Development
• Beautification
• Promotion
• Tourism development

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A 240 Second Review of Strategic Visioning

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to be?
• How do we get there?
• How are we doing?

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Committee Mission

• You have 20 minutes to develop a strategic plan
  for your area
• Your group should develop 3 ideas, complete with
  implementation steps and progress checks
• Be ready to spend 5 minutes reporting your ideas

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Things to Remember

• Who will do the work?
• How will resources be raised?
• How will work be promoted?
• How will work be evaluated?
• How will work be celebrated?
• You are all volunteers with families, businesses,
  and jobs
• And, you pay taxes

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Things to Remember

• Think BIG..
  ...Start small

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Committee Reports
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What did we learn?
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Contents A Manual for Small Downtowns

• Revitalizing Downtown
• Getting Organized
• Planning Revitalization
• Strategies
• Three Case Studies
• Additional Resources
• Appendixes

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Principles of the Manual

• Organization
• Planning
• Implementation and Mobilizing Resources
• Promotion
• Evaluation
• Think BIG start small

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Strategies, Solutions, and Actions

• Retail Trade Analysis
• Crossroads Analysis
• First Impressions
• Community Economic Renewal - RMI

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Retail Trade Analysis

• Basic laws of supply and demand
• Pull Factors or Leakage
• Market Share Sales / Consumer Spending
• Demographic Analysis
• GIS applications

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Major Retail Components

• Hardware and Building Materials
• Food Stores
• General Merchandise
• Automobile Dealers
• Gas Stations
• Apparel
• Furniture
• Eating and Drinking Establishments
• Drug Stores

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Retail Sales and Population
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Supply/Demand for Food Stores
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CROSSROADS ANALYSIS
Scaling of Commercial Services
PROCESS 1) AREA IDENTIFICATION 2) WINDSHIELD
SURVEY 3) CODING OF SERVICES 4) SCALING OF
SERVICES 5) INTERPRETATION ACTION PLANNING
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CROSSROADS ANALYSIS
HOLES missing services Errors businesses
of concern
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The pattern implies four Policy Jobs for
community developers
1) to assess whether a 'hole' is a real business
opportunity (e.g. that no competition exists
nearby)
2) to find resources (e.g. dollars as well as a
trained entrepreneur) to invest in the
'opportunity'
3) to determine whether the 'errors' are in
actual danger of going out of business and
4) to determine means of keeping endangered
businesses open (e.g. in terms of
business-management training or in having a
business move to a more viable location in order
stay open).
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First Impressions

• Raise local awareness about what a community
  looks like to a first-time visitor
• Illustrates community strengths and areas of
  concern
• Unbiased opinions and perspectives

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Community Economic Renewal
FOUR PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMIC RENEWAL Rocky
Mountain Institute of Community Economic Renewal
1) Plug the Leaks
2) Support existing businesses
3) Encourage new enterprises
4) Recruit compatible new businesses
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NINE TOOLS OF ECONOMIC RENEWAL
1) Ask why
2) Manage demand
3) Pursue development not necessarily
expansion
4) Seek small solutions
5) Find problem-solvers who care
6) Increase the Multiplier Effect
7) Find hidden local skills and assets
8) Build social capital
9) Organize regionally
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EIGHT STEPS TO ECONOMIC RENEWAL COMMUNITY
ECONOMIC RENEWAL - RMI PROCESS Step 1
Mobilize the Community Step 2 Envision the
Communitys Future Step 3 Identify What You
Have to Work With Step 4 Discover new
Opportunities Step 5 Generate Project
Ideas Step 6 Evaluate Project Ideas Step 7
Select project Ideas Step 8 Develop Project
Action Plans
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Resources

• National Trust for Historic Preservation -
  National Main Street Center www.mainst.org
  
• International Downtown Association
  www.ida-downtown.org
• Dr.Martin Shields http//retailmarkets.aers.ps
  u.edu
• Rocky Mountain Institute www.rmi.org