Downtown Digest News • Web Extras
July 12, 2019 — In a bid to keep small retailers from being priced out of its resurgent downtown, St. Petersburg, FL, is experimenting with new rules regarding its merchant mix. The city’s "storefront conservation corridor" offers an unusual approach to regulating retailers in two busy business districts. Rather than limiting chains or banning them…To read more — login/sign up
June 27, 2019 — A downtown-wide vote engaged the public and provided needed supplies for local charities in Winchester, KY. With eight potential place-making projects and just $5,000 to spend, Main Street Winchester created the Winchester Downtown Bracket to select the winning project. The projects were in four categories: downtown amenities, public art, pedestrian improvements,…To read more — login/sign up
New 5G equipment creates conflict in downtowns — Mirroring a national pushback against the new generation of “small-cell” wireless antennas, officials in Whitefish, MT, aren’t keen about the prospects of new devices popping up in a downtown known for its mountain vistas and buildings that date to 1919. See a National League of Cities report about 5G antennas....
June 13, 2019 — The business of retailing has been roiled by rapid changes in technology and society. The evolution is changing the way stores and restaurants operate. While these trends have proven difficult for many malls and suburban shopping centers, there’s some good news for downtown leaders: The shifts in retail play directly into…To read more — login/sign up
May 30, 2019 — In recent years, Corning, NY, has taken pains to become more pedestrian-friendly. The small city has invested more than $1 million in safety upgrades to two areas with bustling pedestrian traffic. In one low-cost improvement, Corning made the mid-block crosswalks in its downtown safer by removing parking spots near the pedestrian…To read more — login/sign up
Gift-bag giveaways help promote business district merchants — The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership in Manhattan came up with a unique promotion: The district recycles its eye-catching street banners into “banner bags” given away at the organization’s events. See a fact sheet on the Flatiron Partnership’s gift bag program. ...
Downtown adjusts parking rules for food truck operators — Orlando ranks as one of the nation’s most welcoming cities for food trucks. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation report rated it as the third-friendliest locale for operators. Read the Food Truck Nation report....
May 16, 2019 — Like many business districts, the village of Ridgewood, NJ, faces traffic snarls caused by trucks making deliveries. Ridgewood is considering a dramatic crackdown: The village council has entertained — but not enacted — a ban on deliveries between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. The village also considered imposing a weight limit…To read more — login/sign up
May 2, 2019 — For years, downtown leaders in El Paso, TX, steered clear of hosting events. Joe Gudenrath, executive director of El Paso’s Downtown Management District, figured there was no need, considering other organizations put on a full slate of festivals, fitness events and gallery tours. "Plenty of events already are happening," Gudenrath says.…To read more — login/sign up
April 18, 2019 — Portland, ME, doesn’t have a problem with serious crime. Like many cities, Portland has seen rates of violent crime fall in recent decades. But the downtown does struggle with public-safety nuisances such as panhandling, vagrancy, loitering, public drinking, and drug abuse. Those issues might make a downtown less welcoming, but they…To read more — login/sign up
April 4, 2019 — To combat high vacancy rates, Monticello, IL, launched an entrepreneurial boot camp to coach would-be business owners about setting up shop downtown. Instructors are volunteers, and each week focuses on a crucial part of operating a business. There’s an accounting course one week, a finance class the next. Courses also focus…To read more — login/sign up
March 21, 2019 — Like many small towns, Oneonta, AL, long struggled to bring life and tax revenues to its declining downtown. Unlike most, Oneonta had a downtown property and a plan. The city owned a vacant car dealership, and City Manager Ed Lowe believed that recruiting a college to offer classes on the site…To read more — login/sign up
