Downtowns Across Oakland County Come Together to Learn about Trends, Share Ideas

(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 29, 2022)

Pontiac, MI – Main Street program managers across Oakland County gathered on Nov. 22 to get inspired by national leadership and to learn from each other.

There are 28 Main Street programs in Oakland County, plus the county itself has a coordinating program. Often these programs are set up as Downtown Development Authorities (DDAs) where revenue comes from property taxes by business owners in the area. Others are nonprofits, such as Main Street Pontiac, where money is raised by donations and grants. Others are Corridor Improvement Authorities (CIAs), which are in commercial districts that are not necessarily a traditional downtown – such as Oak Park’s Water Tower District along 11 Mile.

Whatever the structure, the goals are the same – creating and maintaining vibrant community centers that residents and visitors can enjoy, and where small businesses can thrive.

The Nov. 22 gathering, held by Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) and Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) had a day full of presentations and sharing.

TRENDS FOR DOWNTOWNS

Matt Wagner, Chief Program Officer of Main Street America, joined via video chat to share trends that Main Street managers should know.

Trends include a desire for experiential retailing, he said. Customers will travel to businesses for the act of engagement and the unique settings that small businesses offer.

Another growing desire is that for niche businesses, such as small-scale creators and crafters, as well as restaurants that offer unique, local flavors.

Wagner also said that retailers and restaurants need to “have a mix of bricks and clicks.” This point was echoed by MSOC Director John Bry later in his presentation. “If you’re a business owner and you don’t have an online presence, you’re not going to be as successful.”

“We need to think of how we can help business owners get online,” Bry said.

There are also two shortages that are problematic for downtowns – housing shortages and workforce shortages. Many communities are looking at how bring in more housing, particularly housing that is affordable for those in service industries. Attracting and retaining talent is also a challenge across Oakland County, the state, and the country.

Another trend for main street managers to consider is the growing number of people in the “Baby Boomer” generation retiring. That growing segment of consumers may have different shopping and dining needs than the younger generations. They also have different needs in terms of accessibility, and transportation.

“There are two kinds of change,” Wagner said. “planned and unplanned. The best way to create the future is to plan it.”

For dynamic community centers that means doing more than just doing a project and being done with it.

“Change in downtowns is incremental – not just doing one project and you’re done. We have to be patient,” Wagner said. While the public may notice the visible things – like streetscaping, road diets, and community events, Main Street organizations also do quite a bit behind the scenes, including building an organization with volunteers and engaged business owners, to create an active community.

Even the work of explaining what main street programs are is ongoing. “We constantly have new stakeholders coming in the process,” Bry said. “Business owners, officials, volunteers, and residents.”

BENEFITS

While those involved with main street programs understand the value, sometimes the public does not. Telling those stories and talking about the benefits can help build community support.

Downtown organizations help increase property values and tax revenue for the community. They can spur residential growth and build inclusivity. And they can be part of historic preservation and the continuation of traditions in a community.

“Most people when they think of childhood memories… they think of being in their downtowns – the events, they enjoy being able to see family and friends at community events,” Wagner said.

But it’s also the community-building and support behind the events that make a difference in helping downtowns thrive.

SUCCESS IN DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER

One often-cited example of success is Downtown Rochester, which formed a DDA in 1983. DDA Director Krisit Trevarrow explained that in 1983 Downtown Rochester had a 43% vacancy rate.

“We started out with streetscaping, because that’s easy,” Trevarrow said. Then they moved on to signage grants and small events.

Now, after decades of incremental investment in dollars and in people-power, Downtown Rochester is known as a destination for shopping and family fun, with their Big Bright Lights Festival that drapes the town in holiday lights.

But they haven’t just evolved their public vision. Downtown Rochester has also evolved their organization to provide more revenue and long-term stability. While they started with a DDA, they also added a Principle Shopping District (PSD) in 1993 to expand the areas they can serve. This is similar to a DDA and CIA in that an area is designated for improvement, and tax revenue increases in the area are reinvested in promotions and activities to support the businesses. In 2013 they also developed a nonprofit arm, which means they can collect donations and do other fundraising activities, and it protects them should any legislative changes happen to DDA or PSD structures.

Another, less bureaucratic, change has been the investment of a more public place for DDA activities. The Downtown Collaboration Studio started out as a temporary location for dolling out PPE items to businesses during the COVID pandemic. They took a six month lease in an empty storefront which made it easier for businesses to pick up the face masks, hand sanitizer, and signage to help employees and customers stay safe in the face of the outbreak.

They also created Downtown Rochester branded merchandise, the sales of which bolstered the nonprofit’s revenue.

The location was such a hit that they’ve decided to keep it – offering a unique community hub for gifts that show love for the community, space for meetings, a place for art openings for local artists, and a central location for volunteers during events. Since the pandemic they’ve sold over $100,000 in Love Local-themed merchandise.

“You have to evolve,” Trevarrow said. “People see what you can do, and they want more of it.”

STEPS FORWARD, AND BACK, AND FORWARD AGAIN IN PONTIAC

Main Street Pontiac is an example of resiliency and change. This downtown has a wealth of historic buildings and character, but also a number of challenges.

Lori Crose shared how Pontiac used to have a Downtown organization, but that it was dismantled when the State of Michigan assigned an Emergency Financial Manager to the city, and local leadership had little control of the decisions being made.

“It’s not super common for your city to go bankrupt,” Crose said.

While the city adjusted to this and other changes, Downtown Pontiac business owners and residents banded together to form their own nonprofit organization to provide some collaboration and resources for improving the area. The nonprofit Main Street Pontiac was formed five years ago. Unlike DDAs, CIAs, etc, the nonprofit does not get tax revenue and must survive on donations and grants. This circumstance in an economically challenged area makes the road to improvements even steeper for the volunteer-based organization. But they are determined, and they have been making progress.

One point of pride has been the investment in public art – driven mainly by volunteerism and small donations. The largest and most recent is the gigantic mural of Elizabeth ‘Lisette’ Denison Forth, painted by Zach Curtis, on the side of the Riker Building’s parking structure. The mural depicts the first black female to own land in the city. Her face can be seen as drivers pass the downtown on Woodward Avenue.

The group has also had art-themed events in the downtown, and they work with Oakland County on historic preservation efforts. But perhaps the grandest effort has been taking part in discussions of changing Woodward Avenue to direct traffic through the Downtown, rather than around it.

“Downtown Pontiac is surrounded by the Woodward Loop,” Crose said. “People don’t pass through.” This means lost opportunities for people to see the businesses and other offerings of the currently rather isolated city center. Public meetings have been held to discuss making a change that city leaders hope will help revitalize the downtown.

CHANGING ROADS, CHANGING HABITS

Several Downtowns have used road design and streetscaping to improve their communities.

The City of Oak Park’s 9 Mile CIA was transformed recently as they implemented a road diet with complete streets principles – plus some fun stuff – along a roadway that had previously been a place for drivers to speed through.

Director of Economic Development Kim Marrone shared how the road diet reduced travel lanes and added bike lanes and features for pedestrian safety. Increased crosswalks connect pedestrians with pocket parks, and the road is now lined with public art, areas of native landscaping, and play equipment for kids and adults of all ages.

“The speed limit was 35,” she said. “But the average speed was 50.” The investments have slowed traffic and spurred business growth along the corridor.

“We were able to attract a transit oriented development due to improvements on 9 Mile road,” she said. This includes a new apartment building intentionally located near a bus stop, with amenities for residents including bike racks.

The approach has not only worked on 9 Mile, but in other areas of the city that weren’t previously considered pedestrian-friendly. Rather than one central downtown, Oak Park now has seven corridor districts, which are all seeing business growth and increased value.

Downtown Farmington also saw the value of road projects. They invested in a large streetscape project for Grand River Avenue 12 years ago. Director Kate Knight shared how that project led to increased occupancy and engagement in the downtown. The project was hard for businesses, but because there was an engaged downtown organization to help, there was consistent communication, marketing, and signage.

Now they’re embarking on another big project for Farmington Road. Knight said the biggest challenge has been the concrete shortage and project delays. But unlike the project over a decade ago, technology is helping businesses to weather the storm with the help of data.

Main Street Oakland County communities have access to a program called Placer AI which uses cell phone data to track trends, such as where customers are coming from and where they go. It helps guide detour routes, as well as demonstrates the number of people who brave construction to continue shopping. Even with construction there have been 1.5 million visitors to Downtown Farmington in the past six months.

Speaking of the construction process, Knight said “It’s a brutal experience. But is it worth it? Yes.”

OTHER IDEAS

The MSOC/SEMCOG event was full of great ideas and networking.

Jordon Twardy of the City of Dearborn talked about how his city consolidated several departments under Economic Development and streamlined processes for residents and businesses. They also began providing resources in multiple languages to assist their diverse communities.

He also advised main street managers to celebrate their successes. “Small wins can build morale,” he said.

Cindy Willcock worked with the Ferndale DDA before taking on the Director Role at Main Street Grosse Pointe. One of her big tasks was helping businesses and residents after flooding happened there – not once, but twice, just three weeks apart.

“A lot of our properties have basements, so their basements flooded,” Willcock said. She and her team hustled to find resources and information to help, and became a central place for information and volunteers. “We found an insurance agent willing to help all businesses, even if they weren’t their client.”

Even though dealing with flooding isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when people think of main street organizations, it shows how having an organization that is already connecting the community can act quickly to help when the unexpected occurs.

GET INVOLVED

Each of the communities with main street organizations has opportunities for residents and business owners to get involved. Visit https://www.oakgov.com/advantageoakland/planning/main-street/Pages/default.aspx to learn more about participating communities, and the work of Main Street Oakland County.

SEMCOG also has resources for community-building. Check them out online at https://semcog.org/.