Planning downtowns vital role thriving community

Planning Downtown’s Vital Role in a

Thriving & Sustainable Community

Jim ThompsonBusiness Improvement SpecialistBusiness Improvement Specialist

Main Street Iowa

Iowa Dept. of Economic Development

200 East Grand Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50309

515/725

[email protected]

Planning Downtown’s Vital Role in a

Thriving & Sustainable Community

Jim ThompsonBusiness Improvement SpecialistBusiness Improvement Specialist

Main Street Iowa




515/725-3054

[email protected]

Main Street Iowa programs

1/25/20111/25/2011

Main Street Iowa programs

Cost of an Empty Storefront on Main Street

1/25/20111/25/2011

Cost of an Empty Storefront on Main Street

(Place Economics)

� $250,000 lost sales

� $16,250 lost employee payroll

� $15,000 lost rents

� $24,750 lost business profit

� $1,500 lost property taxes

� $5,100 lost bank deposits� $5,100 lost bank deposits

� $51,000 lost r.e. loan demand

� $15,000 lost bus. loan demand

� $12,500 lost sales tax to gov. $18,900 lost household income

generated elsewhere in community

� $5,500 lost utilities

� $3,500 lost advertising

Keys To Success

Apply the time-proven Comprehensive 4Approach® to Increase the Value of Downtown

absolute key to success!absolute key to success!

� Social - promotion

� Physical - design

� Political - organization

� Economic - economic restructuring

Keys To Success

proven Comprehensive 4-Point Approach® to Increase the Value of Downtown

absolute key to success!absolute key to success!

promotion

design

organization

economic restructuring

Keys To Success

Operate Under the Eight Guiding Principles:

building blocks for a good strategy!INCREMENTALINCREMENTAL

COMPREHENSIVE

QUALITY

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

CHANGING ATTITUDES

FOCUS ON EXISTING ASSETS

SELF HELP

IMPLEMENTATION ORIENTED

Keys To Success

Operate Under the Eight Guiding Principles:

building blocks for a good strategy!INCREMENTALINCREMENTAL

COMPREHENSIVE

QUALITY

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

CHANGING ATTITUDES

FOCUS ON EXISTING ASSETS

SELF HELP

IMPLEMENTATION ORIENTED

Stages of Development

Preparatory

Growth

Management

Stages of Development

Preparatory

Start-up Start-up

Management

Biggest Concern

MANY COMMUNITIES NEVER GET BEYOND “PREPARATORY”, OR NEVER LEAVE “START UP”!“START UP”!

It’s easier to talk about the

problems and complain than

to do something about them!

Biggest Concern

MANY COMMUNITIES NEVER GET BEYOND OR NEVER LEAVE

It’s easier to talk about the

problems and complain than

to do something about them!

Major Concerns

Big Fix – Quick Fix Syndrome

“Project Focuse

Not Learning How to Fish

Belief that it is “THEIR” problem, not

“OUR” problem

Quick Fix Syndrome

cused” not “Process Focused”

Belief that it is “THEIR” problem, not

Think Outside the Box

�Create a ““Unified” Vision for Downtown

�what do we want to be like when we grow up?

�Be the instigator - push the envelope ⌧What if? ⌧What if?

⌧How could?

⌧Why not?

⌧Why can’t?

⌧How do?

⌧If not us, who?

⌧If not now, when?

Think Outside the Box

Vision for Downtown

what do we want to be like when we grow up?

push the envelope

Embracing Commun

�Discovery: the risks are

�community initiated development projects & private partnerships

⌧grocery & hardware stores

⌧theaters

⌧white elephant buildings

⌧entire blocks of buildings

⌧museums

⌧opera houses

⌧hotels

⌧depots

unity Transformation

are all ECONOMIC related!

community initiated development projects - public

grocery & hardware stores

entire blocks of buildings

risks are all ECONOMIC

� business assistance programs

⌧rent buy-downs

⌧existing business visitations

Embracing Commun

⌧existing business visitations

⌧intensive, long-term business consulting/assistance

⌧workshops

�marketing into previously untapped areas

⌧cooperative regional tv/radio/magazine media buys

⌧billboards

⌧trademarked slogans/branding

⌧internet

ECONOMIC

business assistance programs

existing business visitations

unity Transformation

existing business visitations

term business consulting/assistance

marketing into previously untapped areas

/radio/magazine media buys

trademarked slogans/branding

Embracing Commun


�niche development –⌧arts, entertainment & recreation

⌧destination upper end specialty & gifts⌧destination upper end specialty & gifts

⌧home improvement

⌧dot.com downtown (silicorn.net)

⌧dining & nightlife

⌧financial centers

⌧international marketplace

⌧destination districts

⌧traditional downtown

munity Transformation

ECONOMIC

– knowing your market!arts, entertainment & recreation

destination upper end specialty & giftsdestination upper end specialty & gifts

dot.com downtown (silicorn.net)

international marketplace

Embracing Commu


�upper floor housing and commercial development

⌧conversion of vacant buildings into market and income based housing

• old hotels, schools • old hotels, schools

• warehouses

• libraries

• post offices

⌧renovation of second story spaces into market rate apartments

⌧second floor commercial

⌧sympathetic in-fill development


ECONOMIC

upper floor housing and commercial development

conversion of vacant buildings into market and income

renovation of second story spaces into market rate

second floor commercial - retail and offices

fill development

Embracing Commu

�Other risky economic strategies:

�building ownership and development

�targeted business recruitment�targeted business recruitment

�development of special events as

economic development

�capitalizing on uniqueness downtown;


economic strategies:

building ownership and development

business recruitmentbusiness recruitment

development of special events as

capitalizing on uniqueness - art deco district; green

Downtown Resource Center

PURPOSE:

to capitalize on the experiences of the IDED’s

highly successful Main Street program by

providing more assistance more often to more providing more assistance more often to more

communities through fee

� training

� referrals

� technical information

� technical assistance.

Downtown Resource Center

to capitalize on the experiences of the IDED’s

highly successful Main Street program by

providing more assistance more often to more providing more assistance more often to more

fee-based services:

Training Opportunities

� ICN Workshops

� Webinars

� Regional Workshops

� Annual Iowa Downtown Summit

� 2011 National Main Streets Conference

� Community Presentations

Training Opportunities

Annual Iowa Downtown Summit

2011 National Main Streets Conference

Community Presentations

Information Exchange

�Examples - incentive grant programs, ordinances, design guidelines

�Lending Library - videos, books, how

�Consultant Exchange - housing, retail, marketing,

landscape architects, historic preservation, structural

engineers, architects, organizational development, etc.

�Phone & e-mail consultation

Information Exchange

incentive grant programs, ordinances,

videos, books, how-to workbooks

housing, retail, marketing,

landscape architects, historic preservation, structural

engineers, architects, organizational development, etc.

mail consultation

Technical Assistance

�Downtown Assessment Visits

� 2 - 3 days on-site - meetings, interviews, tours

� 2 consultants - downtown professionals

� Community Town Hall meeting� Community Town Hall meeting

� Written observations & tangible recommendations

�Issue Specific Technical Assistance Visits � Downtown Visioning

� Upper Floor Housing


Downtown Assessment Visits

meetings, interviews, tours

downtown professionals

ing to share findings & recommendationsing to share findings & recommendations

Written observations & tangible recommendations

Issue Specific Technical Assistance Visits


�Downtown Assessment Visits

� Introductions with coordinating committee

� Tours (Driving & Walking)Tours (Driving & Walking)

� Interviews

� Public Meeting (written observations & tangible

recommendations)

� Questions & Answers

� Media

Technical Assistance - DRC

Downtown Assessment Visits

Introductions with coordinating committee

Tours (Driving & Walking)Tours (Driving & Walking)

Public Meeting (written observations & tangible


�Market Analysis Services

� Secondary Data Collection

� Primary Data Collection

Supply (Business)� Supply (Business)

� Demand (Consumer)

�Focus Groups

�Intercept Surveys

�Online Surveys

Technical Assistance - MSI

Market Analysis Services

Secondary Data Collection


Determine the desired target sample

(Target = 400)

Technical Assistance - MSI

Determine the desired target sample "Magic Number" = 384

(Target = 400)

TOUGH QUESTIONS

� 1. How does downtown revitalization fit into the overall

community development plan?

� 2. Why is downtown important to the community?

� 3. Who should support revitalization efforts and why?

� 4. How does it fit with other development groups?� 5. How can we find the necessary resources

people and money

� 6. How will it benefit me or my business?

TOUGH QUESTIONS

1. How does downtown revitalization fit into the overall

community development plan?

2. Why is downtown important to the community?

3. Who should support revitalization efforts and why?

4. How does it fit with other development groups?5. How can we find the necessary resources –

people and money - for one more cause?

6. How will it benefit me or my business?

EIGHT DEADLY SINS . . . . . EIGHT DEADLY SINS . . . . . Leading to the Dullification of Downtown

(direct from the state of Michigan

�Sure Fire Strategies to Assist in Killing off Downtown

�Remove your historically significant buildings

�Remove (de-map) any existing street

�Remove existing on street parking�Remove existing on street parking

�Remove any existing street level retail (spaces)�Clear land of historically significant buildings for

surface parking

�Build an elevated walkway

�Build an underground walkway

�Invite a proposal from a suburban developer

EIGHT DEADLY SINS . . . . . EIGHT DEADLY SINS . . . . . Leading to the Dullification of Downtown

(direct from the state of Michigan)

Sure Fire Strategies to Assist in Killing off Downtown!

Remove your historically significant buildings

map) any existing street

Remove existing on street parkingRemove existing on street parking

Remove any existing street level retail (spaces)Clear land of historically significant buildings for

Build an elevated walkway

Build an underground walkway

Invite a proposal from a suburban developer

Iowa Downtown Resource Center


1/25/20111/25/2011

Iowa Downtown Resource Center


Contact Information

Bus

Contact Information

Jim Thompson

Business Improvement Specialist

Main Street Iowa



515/725-3054

[email protected]

Planning downtowns vital role thriving community

Business

Transcript of Planning downtowns vital role thriving community