The renovation of a handful of highly-visible homes is being cited as a driver of the economic turnaround in Millinocket, ME. The Northern Forest Center launched the Millinocket Housing Initiative in 2017 with the goal of renovating 10 properties and providing housing options for staff at nearby Millinocket Regional Hospital. As of October, the initiative…To read more — login/subscribe
St. Paul, MN (est. pop. 306,604), has long faced perceptions that its downtown is unsafe. The St. Paul Downtown Alliance has made strides on that front with an inexpensive makeover of downtown trash bins. St. Paul’s sidewalks are lined with decades-old concrete containers. Over the years, the garbage receptacles have been covered with graffiti. The…To read more — login/subscribe
For a year and a half, visitors to downtown Sarasota, FL (est. pop. 55,103), could travel the district via black-and-teal electric cars. But the third-party operator of the microtransit service pulled the plug so quickly that its sleek little vehicles are still stored in a downtown garage. The microtransit service's departure underscored the reality that…To read more — login/subscribe
Just six hours after the Downtown Dayton Partnership in Dayton, OH (est. pop. 140,638), unveiled a gift card promotion, the cards had sold out. It was a rare glimmer of good news in an otherwise-difficult time both for downtowns and for brick-and-mortar retailers. Downtowns across the country tried similar promotions and reported robust results. Dayton’s…To read more — login/subscribe
Starting in July, diners and shoppers in downtown Nashville, TN (est. pop. 692,587), will pay a bit more for burgers and T-shirts. Tennessee lawmakers and the Nashville Metro Council approved an increase in the downtown sales tax rate to 9.75 percent from 9.5 percent. The tax increase will generate $2.4 million to be spent on…To read more — login/subscribe
City officials in Oxnard, CA (est. pop. 208,875), searched extensively for a site to build the city’s second homeless shelter. The city examined 21 possible sites, but every one of those properties met with resistance from local residents. Eventually, the city approved construction of a five-story, $34 million facility on a city-owned lot across the…To read more — login/subscribe
In Redding, CA (est. pop. 92,958), a new venture has brought together 18 small shops in one location. Called Gather Downtown, it’s not quite a business incubator, not quite an antiques mart or a food hall. Instead, it’s a middle ground, an initiative that both fills vacant space and nurtures entrepreneurs. “We wanted to put…To read more — login/subscribe
In Redding, CA, a new venture has brought together 18 small shops in one location. Called Gather Downtown, it’s not quite a business incubator, not quite an antiques mart or a food hall. Instead, it’s a middle ground, an initiative that fills vacant space, nurtures local entrepreneurs, and provides a downtown gathering place. "We wanted…Continue reading
In January, Smyrna, GA (est. pop. 56,628), approved the sale of nearly an acre of downtown land to brewery owners — but only after a long fight. The city council voted 5-2 to let the Downtown Development Authority sell 0.94 acres of undeveloped property to StillFire Brewing for $600,000. StillFire, which operates a brewery in…To read more — login/subscribe
During the depths of the pandemic, outdoor dining provided a lifeline for downtowns. Office buildings went empty, concerts and festivals were canceled, and indoor dining was called off — but at least sidewalk service allowed downtown restaurants to keep the lights on. In Los Angeles, for instance, a survey of restaurant owners found that 81…To read more — login/subscribe
