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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/20/95AGENDA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT Sunday, August 20, 1995 - Council Chambers, City Hall 11:OOam - 5:OOpm Attendees: HERMOSA BEACH CITY COUNCIL DOWNTOWN ENHANCEMENT COMMISSION HERMOSA BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VISION HERMOSA CITY STAFF (3) PARKS, RECREATION & COMMUNITY RESOURCES COMMISSIONERS (2) PLANNING COMMISSIONERS (2) Facilitators: HYETT-PALMA Purpose: TO COORDINATE AND PRIORITIZE THE ACTIVITIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS 1N ORDER TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE HERMOSA BEACH BUSINESS DISTRICT. 11:00 Welcome - Mayor John Bowler 11:05 Self -introductions by attendees 11:15 Introduction of Hyett-Palma - Mayor Bowler 11:20 Brief statement of purpose of each organization and short summary of progress to date by heads of each representative group. 11:45 Opening statements by Hyett-Palma 12:00 Working Lunch - Slide presentation and discussion 1:00 Visioning Session .'t 2:00 Discussion of Issues "To mix or not to mix, that is the question." A discussion of the pro's and con's of manipulation of market forces. "Who does what?" An analysis of current responsibilities, identification of duplication of efforts, and discussion of solutions. "Who picks up the tab?" Identification of each group's current and potential funding sources and its possible contribution to the group effort. "A new dynamic or another layer of bureaucracy?" A discussion regarding the need to form a coordinating body to consolidate efforts and funding. "How do we get there from here?" An outline of tasks required for implementation of resulting ideas. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 5:00 Adjourn sL d6 6 try-x-L&L 0)4 7b. f pF 0 2?,/' -z.e9 trj ..3 d 't _ 6- E7 /11/9/1/ ES `?26 -ex-) ao_ ---- - ---2 )1,-1 j de 1 ' r\ Co:)'),/ ' )iri, / c\ ),_\ i 1\ k 1\k‘ / ,c! ),, 01/ , ti11 ' 11\ , 11)'\u 1. / 1\i14 ) ,i3,;1/4 IQ1 T I 4 _ 'AO/yr /e���pT k),-�- _ p 4„AA---,2 t --�" l� le)2`7'" • v5_- 919 e‘e,47/.. I 5 2 v ,c ,f /6AL" /;��- ) 2 h ) zo2;70.2_ v '1" c � ' ''‘\ 4 A �A\ b; )1 IN vj V F /1 ,(;\ \\ s, A 1 tr\ • 4 i l 1 n kk \\to „\ri _1= • 6 1 '469-''' j--- ,.-710-) a ,1671/-&- ,.._(, T,. \______. ,......2._ ,,,_.,),.- -f '-') -'` .=.\-r , ,„:,---L..a.--- ---.. / CSC - _2-=. - - ,a. -T - - „^ 0 0 1-------2--:-_--,?,-- - , e I E C 4 i LAYNCNINO TNS ECONOMIC RENAISSANCE Of TODAY•S BUSINESS DISTRICTS THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: THE NEW DOWNTOWN REALISM 1600 Prince Street • Suite 110 Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Phone 703 683 5126 Fax 703 836 5887 Today, the field of Downtown revitalization is far from new. Instead, for the last several decades, Downtown revitalization efforts have been actively pursued in many communities across the country. What has evolved from these decades of Downtown efforts is a tried and true ethic for bringing success to declining Downtowns ... an ethic that dispels old myths and breaks new ground. This ethic - is known as The New Downtown Realism and is built on the following tenets. FACT: Downtown Success is Spelled E -C -O -N -O -M -I -C -S MYTH: If We Build It They will Come There are many reasons that communities decide to revitalize their ailing Downtowns. These include increasing the community's pride in Downtown, making Downtown more appealing to residents and visitors, and improving Downtown's image. To reach these goals, many communities have implemented Downtown enhancement programs that were primarily physical in nature -- planting trees and flowers, renovating facades, improving signs, and installing banners. While it is important to keep Downtown physically appealing, the bottom line is this: a sick Downtown cannot be revitalized unless its economy is improved. Or, better yet, by definition: A successful Downtown is one whose investors (business owners, property owners, real estate developers, the local government, etc.) realize an increasing return on their invest- ments. Downtown Robbinsdale, MN, provides an example of the New Downtown Realism in its Downtown enhancement program. Recently, Mayor Joy Robb and the City Council spearheaded making Downtown revitalization a priority in their community. The City's elected officials acted as the catalyst for Downtown's revitalization by having a comprehensive streetscape project designed and implemented along Downtown's West Broadway. In April of 1994, the City was presented with a Merit Award for the project from the Minnesota Chapter of the .1 ii ellPa American Society of Landscape Architects. The streetscape project also won broad approval from the community...in a survey of area residents, 87% of those who had seen the newly completed improvements found them attractive. But, Mayor Robb and City Council members knew that streetscape improvements alone -- a physically -driven approach -- would not revitalize Downtown. Instead, the City and the Downtown business community worked together to take an economic approach to Downtown. By completing a Downtown market analysis and a Downtown business plan -- which is being implemented by The Heart of Robbinsdale Partnership -- Downtown Robbinsdale is on the road to becoming the symbol of pride envisioned by the community. FACT: Spenders Count MYTH: Special Events will Save Downtown A major goal of all Downtown enhancement programs is to attract additional people to Downtown. And, over the years, many communities have tried to accomplish this by holding numerous special events in Downtown. Special events are important since they "build community," position Downtown as the community's gathering place, and invite people to have fun in Downtown. However, typically, special event attendees do not spend money in Downtown's businesses. Instead, if Downtown's investors are to become more financially successful, Downtown must offer things that attract spenders. Spenders that Downtown must attract include retail shoppers, professional service clients, diners, entertainment users, and apartment renters. Therefore, a Downtown enhancement program must include efforts to bring the community -at -large to Downtown for enjoyment AND efforts that bring spenders to Downtown. Downtowns that accomplish this have been enhanced as mixed-use areas with a new definition of "Downtown anchors." A mixed-use Downtown that offers retail businesses, service businesses, restaurants, entertainment, government offices, cultural activities, and housing becomes attractive to a variety of spenders. And, spenders attracted by a particular Downtown use often cross-over to other uses. In other words, a retail shopper who is attracted to Downtown by its shops, might also dine in a Downtown restaurant as a part of the shopping trip. New Downtown anchors -- that attract spenders and make Downtown a mixed-use area -- include the Children's Discovery Museum in Downtown Augusta, ME; a community college located in a former department store building in Monroe, NC; a farmer's market in Overland Park, KS; the University of Michigan Pavilion • 1 t in Flint -- an adaptive use of a festival marketplace; the county courthouse in Elko, NV; city hall in Anniston, AL; and a unique home furnishings boutique in Alexan- dria, VA. It is important to remember that small, specialty retail stores often act as very strong Downtown anchors. FACT: Downtown Can Successfully Co -Exist with the Giants MYTH: Downtown Can't Survive in an Age of Malls and Discounters Many Downtowns across the country -- that had once been in decline -- are now flourishing economically despite the location of shopping malls and discounters right in their backyards. These Downtowns did not manage to accomplish this by competing head-on with the giants or by continuing with "business as usual." Instead, these Downtowns lived by the adage "adapt or die" and found ways to successfully co -exist with the giants. The road to successful co -existence with the giants involves: First, defining a "niche" for which Downtown can be- come known; Second, clustering businesses in order to create that niche; and Third, ensuring that the clustered businesses are highly specialized and offer exceptional customer service -- two things which the giants find it hard to offer spend- ers. Examples of distinct niches that have been created in Downtowns by clustering specialty businesses include: the home furnishings cluster in Old Town Alexandria, VA; the "fudge cluster" on Mackinac Island; the arts cluster in the French Quarter of New Orleans; the antiques cluster in Pomona, CA; the entertain- ment cluster on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade; the high-fashion cluster on Chicago's Oak Street; and the French cluster in Old Town Alexandria, VA. FACT: You Can Create the Downtown You Want MYTH: We Can't Control the Future Downtowns whose leaders believe that the future is beyond their control are surely doomed. In these communities, both business and public sector leaders take a "wait and see" attitude that puts them forever in a reactionary mode. In Downtowns where economic decline has been reversed, the prevailing attitude is "we can and will determine our own fate." In these Downtowns, leaders identify what is best about their Downtown ... and what must be changed .. . then go about building on the former as they improve the latter. In St. Charles, IL, this approach involves building on the Arcada Theater -- a historic movie theater that is drawing 5,000 people to Downtown each week since its recent renovation. The owner of the theater has leased its first floor space to businesses that will appeal to movie-goers and the Downtown organiza- tion is encouraging businesses to cross -advertise with the theater. In Downtown Tupelo, MS, a bankrupt shopping mall had become a significant drain on Downtown's image. The City of Tupelo purchased the mall and converted it into a coliseum/convention center. The Downtown organization has built on this new asset by aggressively recruiting restaurants and shops that appeal to day -time spenders as well as to evening coliseum -users. FACT: The Business Sector and the Public Sector Must Both Revitalize Downtown MYTH: The Business Sector is Responsible for Downtown's Decline/Rebirth The Public Sector is Responsible for Downtown's Decline/Rebirth Both the Downtown business sector and the local government have played a role in Downtown's decline and both must play a part in Downtown's enhance- ment -- if it is to be enhanced. Downtowns that have been most successfully enhanced are those whose business and public leaders: First, agreed to agree that the "status quo" in Down- town was not acceptable; • Second, came together to decide what needed to be done to enhance Downtown; 4 e lPfl. ma Third, identified those actions to be taken by the busi- ness sector and those to be taken by the public sector; and • Fourth, carried their weight by implementing the agreed upon actions. This coming together of the business and public sectors often involves forming a partnership in which the business sector plays the leading role and the public sector plays a supporting role. Such Downtown partnerships are in place in communities of all sizes throughout the U.S., including Peabody, KS (population 1410); Monroe, NC; Traverse City, MI; Millville, NJ; Murfreesboro, TN; Denver, CO; and Seattle, WA. FACT: A Revitalized Downtown Benefits the Entire Community MYTH: Downtown Enhancement Only Benefits a Handful of Downtown Investors Often, local government officials think it inappropriate to support a Downtown enhancement effort since it focuses on only one of the community's commercial areas. And, business sector leaders often will think it inappropriate (or impossible) to seek funders from outside of Downtown in order to finance the Downtown enhancement effort. The most successfully enhanced Downtowns are those whose local public officials bravely and visibly support Downtown's enhancement and whose business leaders make Downtown's enhancement a community -wide priority. This approach is not only appropriate but is essential because an enhanced Downtown does indeed benefit the entire community. This fact is demonstrated in the following examples. The leaders of Peabody, KS, have been able to use their revitalized Downtown to attract professionals who work in Wichita (60 miles away) as new residents. The executives of "Harry and David" (a fruit and gift firm of exceptional quality having an international mail order business) support the revitalization of Downtown Medford, OR, finding that a revitalized Downtown 5 ell% Ma increases their ability to attract and keep high quality employees. The North East Nevada Development Authority (NENDA), a county -wide agency in Elko, is heavily involved in Downtown Elko's revitalization. NENDA's primary mission is industrial recruitment. And, NENDA's leaders know that a vibrant Downtown Elko -- that stands as a symbol of the County's health and quality of life -- affects the success of industrial recruit- ment efforts. City officials have found that bond rating companies include the health of Downtown as one criterion they consider when determining a City's bond rating. All of these examples lead to the indisputable truth that the health of Downtown affects the health of the entire community. FACT: To Succeed, Downtown Needs the Tools that Every Business Needs MYTH: We Can Wing It and Still Revive Downtown Downtown enhancement is economic development. And, Downtown's economy cannot be strengthened without the necessary business tools described below. Vision -- A clear, shared community vision of Downtown's preferred future must be articulated by bringing together the business community, the civic sector, interested residents, and local government. This vision should be used to guide all decisions and actions affecting Downtown's future. Market Analysis -- A clear understanding of existing market opportunities is an essential economic development tool that Downtown's competition would not dream of operating without. To level the playing field, Downtown must also have this basic tool. And, 6 I C]L�l e lPa,_a1CTl�1l the Downtown effort must be built on solid market information concerning Downtown's realistic retail, office, and housing potentials. Business Plan -- Businesses that operate with a business plan are more successful than those than don't ... and the same is true of Downtowns. Based on the market analysis, a definite, manageable and action -oriented course of action must be defined for capturing Downtown's market opportunities and attaining the community's vision. The business plan must conclude with an Action Agenda -- or implementation schedule -- that specifies what will be done, by whom, and the timeline for completion. Private -Public Partnership -- A partnership of business sector, civic sector, residential, and public sector leaders must be formed. This partnership must be driven by the private sector and committed to implementing the Downtown business plan. Funding -- The partnership must raise a level of funds which allows the business plan to be implemented in a timely and quality manner. Funds must come from a variety of sources in both the private and public sectors and must be raised community -wide -- and not raised solely from Downtown interests. For too long, local leaders have tried to enhance their Downtowns by "winging it" -- guessing about Downtown's market, implementing projects without a clear vision of what they were trying to accomplish, accepting an "us against them" attitude between the business and public sectors, operating the Downtown program with only enough funding "to live from hand to mouth." The commercial giants -- shopping malls and discounters -- would never operate in this fashion. Their economic success has been built on solid business tools. Without these same tools, Downtown cannot operate on a level playing field and, therefore, cannot be successfully enhanced.