What ignites downtown redevelopment?
According to a group of 30 professionals engaged in reviving downtowns who gathered recently for a retail roundtable, it starts with the people vested in the revitalization of the area – property owners, business owners, retail brokers, local economic development staff, city and county officials, architects and downtown organizations.
The informal discussion, hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers Oregon Alliance and Metro, provided a forum for attendees to share lessons learned, barriers encountered and creative solutions applied to the common challenges of redevelopment in an economy stuck in slow recovery mode.
Telling the story of a downtown
Ignition happens, the group agreed, when public and private stakeholders connect, collaborate and find the "voice" or theme that's unique to their historic downtown. Transforming that voice into a destination with the right balance of restaurants, wine bars, boutique retail and entertainment to attract visitors and meet the needs of residents was the challenge that drove the animated discussion for ninety minutes.
"Depending on what stage of redevelopment a district is at, it can sometimes be a challenge to determine the theme of a downtown area," says Michele Reeves, urban strategist and consultant with Rethinking Urban Places who guides cities through revitalization of their commercial districts. "While you can't plan out exactly what businesses will fill your downtown area, by looking at the elements of a district, identifying where they interconnect and making them more cohesive, themes can emerge that can attract other like tenants."
Leveraging the talents of downtown champions
Entrepreneurs who have found a downtown they like can be some of the most effective champions for the district. Lloyd Purdy, director of Main Street Oregon City, a locally funded nonprofit dedicated to stimulating the economic vitality and redevelopment of historic downtown Oregon City, shared a success story of a downtown property and business owner who helped create a 90-second promotional video for the "creative entrepreneurs" the association seeks to attract to their downtown area.
“Who owns the downtown property is key," says Purdy. "When you have business owners who want to work where they live and who like the character of the downtown area, you've got someone vested in finding that balance of amenities, restaurants and retail to meet the needs of the residents, attract visitors and spark private investment."
Providing assistance to first time business owners
Helping entrepreneurs who may be first time brick-and-mortar business owners navigate the transition from business plan to opening day is another strategy that resonated with economic development staff attending the roundtable from Beaverton, Vancouver, Gresham, Tigard and Hillsboro.
"We launched a 'pre-lease' program for our new business owners interested in leasing in downtown Vancouver," says Alisa Pyszka, business development manager for the City of Vancouver. "I'd heard stories of business owners signing a five-year lease only to learn afterwards that the location wasn't properly zoned for their business. The pre-lease program brings all the permitting agency representatives – fire, police, zoning, health department and liquor licensing – to the potential location of a new business along with the prospective tenant to help identify red flags and hurdles prior to signing the lease."
A checklist for tenants such as food cart vendors, restaurateurs and retailers listing all the permits needed from different agencies was another idea that appealed to the group.
Connecting tenants to the right space, right location
Retail brokers at the discussion suggested downtown development associations and economic development staff create a retail inventory of vacant properties available for lease including specs, demographics and amenities to help brokers match clients with properties. Downtown tours for retail brokers of vacant properties was recommended as a way to build relationships with brokers who have clients seeking retail space.
Key for most of the group was collaborating with downtown property owners, business owners and downtown associations to decide what kind of businesses they wanted or even which businesses they thought would work well in their downtowns and then being proactive in recruiting them.
Ideas from the group on tenant recruitment included coordinating with culinary institute graduates who may be seeking a location for their first restaurant or wine bar and connecting with food distributors for inside knowledge on which restaurants may be looking for a second location.
Small investments lead to on-the-ground action
The value of developing connections between property owners, business owners and city officials for successful revitalization to even begin was a given at the discussion. The same holds true for convening the players who pave the way to revitalization in their roles as economic development staff, retail brokers, architects, designers, real estate attorneys and downtown association directors.
"Forums like today's roundtable are often the shortest distance between ideas and on-the-ground action," says Megan Gibb, manager of Metro's Transit-oriented Development Program and co-sponsor with the ICSC Oregon Alliance of the March 3 event. "Convening the public and private stakeholders that are on the front lines of redevelopment everyday is our way of continuing the conversation that has to happen at the regional, city and district level for investment in our downtowns to happen."
Transit-oriented development helps support the region's six desired outcomes by creating vibrant communities and safe and reliable transportation choices that enhance the quality of life for residents of the region.