Why are Vermont’s Downtowns Important?

Vermont’s downtowns and villages have served as the social and economic centers of our communities for generations. Frequently a community’s second or third largest employer, they

play a key role in a region’s economy. Almost one fifth of Vermont’s economic activity and jobs are based in our downtowns.

Downtowns are areas of intensive capital investment, both public and private, in buildings, water and sewage systems, streets, sidewalks, and parks. Protecting this investment is smart public policy. We are fortunate to have a wealth of historic buildings in our downtowns, built with a quality of construction, craft and style that make our town centers attractive places to live, work and visit.

Recent decades have brought tremendous economic, technological and social changes, often
with adverse effects on our downtowns. Although the national trend of disinvestment in downtowns — leaving rundown or boarded-up storefronts, vacant upper stories, and reduced tax bases — has not overwhelmed Vermont, the health of our downtowns can be fragile. Sprawl, the dispersed commercial development that is springing up at the fringes of traditional town centers,
can diminish the economic viability of our communities and local businesses.

In response, people across Vermont are organizing downtown revitalization efforts to attract new business, create new jobs, generate new investments, and preserve or enhance the vitality of their downtowns. By providing new opportunities for commercial growth in our town centers, revitalization helps preserve the traditional settlement patterns, quality farmland, and natural and cultural landscapes that make Vermont unique.

This guide is intended to be a resource for individuals or groups interested in getting involved in or starting a revitalization program in their community.

Who Benefits from a Revitalized Downtown?

Many segments of the community can benefit from a vibrant downtown:

v Property owners enjoy new uses on upper floors, increased occupancy rates, rents and property values, and reduced vandalism.

v Local business owners benefit from increased sales, improved image, a stronger business mix, increased visibility, and coordinated downtown marketing opportunities.

v Local residents and customers enjoy a new sense of pride in downtown, an enhanced marketplace with more choices to shop locally, more social and cultural activities, and more employment opportunities in town.

v Financial institutions benefit from potential growth for loans, deposits, and other services.

v Municipalities benefit from an increased tax base, increased property values, more jobs, improved services, an increased volunteer base for local projects, better relations between local government and the private sector, and a shared vision and goals for the downtown.

Eight essentials for your downtown

Downtown revitalization cannot happen overnight. The process of enhancing and preserving the economic health of a town center is gradual and requires time, community-based support and leadership, and good planning. The following eight guiding principles are essential pieces of a community revitalization strategy:

Comprehensive. No single focus — such as public improvements, business recruitment, or promotional events, no matter how well done — can do the job. Downtown revitalization is a complex process requiring a comprehensive strategy that addresses a variety of downtown issues.

Incremental. Small projects make a big difference. Basic, simple activities lead to a more sophisticated understanding of the revitalization process and help members of the community develop skills to tackle more complex problems and ambitious projects.

Self-help. A successful revitalization effort must be a community initiative, led, managed and funded by local partners. The Vermont Downtown Program will play an active role in support of local efforts, but communities must provide the leadership.

Partnerships. Both the public and private sectors have a vital interest in the commercial district. Partnership means that a wide variety of stakeholders are contributing time, money, and expertise. In order to address the major issues facing downtowns — access to capital, land use regulations, public improvements, business assistance, leadership — it is critical that business and community interests work together.

Existing Assets. Vermont’s downtowns are full of historic buildings and comfortable public spaces that make our communities attractive places to live, work, and visit. To give people a sense of connection and pride, a revitalization effort must capitalize on the unique qualities that are already part of the downtown, such as distinct buildings, locally-owned shops, and a more pedestrian-friendly scale.

Quality. A high standard of quality must be set for every aspect of the commercial district: from storefront design, to promotion campaigns and special events, from marketing brochures and signs to window displays and customer service.

Change. Changing community attitudes and practices is essential to bring about a commercial district renaissance. Change may be slow, but will bring about a major shift in a downtown’s use, purpose, and future.

Action-Oriented. A good plan won’t do much to improve your downtown if it is not implemented. A successful revitalization effort involves simultaneously planning for the future while creating visible change and activity from day one.

The Basics of Downtown Revitalization

Downtown revitalization involves reinvesting in the community, creating new economic opportunities, and preserving and reusing the historic resources that define our traditional downtowns. Revitalization is an incremental process and will not produce wholesale, immediate change. Expensive, high-profile public improvements seldom produce sustainable economic results. If a long-term revitalization effort is to succeed, it will require careful attention to every aspect of downtown — a process that takes time and requires leadership and local support.

A successful downtown revitalization strategy involves four broad areas in which work must take place simultaneously and gradually. By using these four key components together, a community can plan a successful downtown management strategy that is both practical and sustainable. Developed by the National Main Street Center, this Four-Point Approach™ has revitalized hundreds of cities and towns of all sizes across the country with impressive results:

Organization involves getting community members working toward the same goal by building collaborative partnerships between a broad range of local public and private sector groups, individuals, organizations, and businesses. A dedicated organization is essential to a successful revitalization effort. Organization involves:

v raising funds and managing the program’s finances

v providing overall direction for the local revitalization program

v developing a revitalization plan and implementing it

v recruiting volunteers to play active roles in the revitalization process

Economic Restructuring is the business development component of a revitalization program. It involves strengthening the town’s existing economic base while finding ways to
expand it and introduce compatible new uses. Strengthening the downtown’s economy begins
with strengthening existing businesses, then gradually recruiting new ones. Economic restructuring involves:

v analyzing current and potential markets

v helping existing businesses identify and capitalize on market opportunities

v supporting the expansion and diversification of existing businesses

v attracting businesses, both retail and non-retail, to the downtown district

v finding new uses for vacant space

Promotion is the marketing component of the revitalization process. It involves letting residents, investors, and visitors know what your downtown has to offer by promoting both individual businesses and the district as a whole. Effective promotion enhances the image of downtown as an exciting community center and meeting place, with activity, thriving stores, successful business, and quality service. Successful promotion involves:

v promoting the goods and services offered by downtown businesses

v organizing special events to bring people downtown

v developing ongoing programs to build a positive image of the commercial district

v establishing a marketing identity for the downtown, including a logo

v publicizing the downtown district’s successes

Design involves all of the physical aspects of the downtown. The ultimate goal is to use physical improvements as the basis for enhancing downtown’s marketability as a viable commercial center with distinctive architecture and public spaces. Rehabilitating historic buildings and constructing compatible new structures are essential to a design strategy. Good design also involves creating an inviting atmosphere by improving all aspects of the downtown that communicate a visual message to consumers, including: buildings, facades, window displays, signs, landscaping, traffic, parking, sidewalks, and streetlights. Components of design include:

v conducting surveys of downtown buildings

v developing design guidelines

v identifying priorities for public improvements

v planning design improvements

Putting the Four Points into Action

Typically, interest in developing a local downtown revitalization program in Vermont comes from business or property owners, town officials, the chamber of commerce, historic preservationists, or concerned citizens. Once a group is formed and the goals and objectives
are defined, an independent non-profit organization or municipal commission is established.
A local program’s structure relies heavily on the talents of volunteers to serve on the Board of Directors and on committees addressing each of the four points of the revitalization effort: organization, economic restructuring, promotion and design. In some programs the Board of Directors doubles as the organization committee. Depending on the complexity, size and financial means of the local program, a Program Manager will be hired on a full- or part-time basis to coordinate the efforts of volunteers and help implement the program.

Evolution of a Revitalization Program

A comprehensive revitalization process will evolve over time, as the organization grows and local participants develop skills to take on more complex revitalization projects. A typical local revitalization experiences three phases of development:

Catalyst Phase:

During the first one to four years, the organization is formed and its major challenges and opportunities are identified. A strategic plan is developed, program members are learning the basics, and small but visible, high-impact projects are undertaken.

Growth Phase

By the fourth or fifth year, the local program reaches a growth phase that will last about five years. The organization uses the skills it has developed in the Catalyst Phase to tackle bigger issues, such as small business development and redeveloping vacant or abandoned buildings.

Management Phase

By year ten, most of the large-scale projects will be accomplished, but continuous maintenance of the physical environment should continue. The need for the local organization does not go away. It must continue to manage the programs that have made the downtown successful.

tools for revitalizing vermont’s downtowns

Vermont Downtown Program assists communities by providing:

v Technical Assistance

The Program provides general consulting services and on-going technical assistance to help each local organization develop and implement its own revitalization strategy.

v Downtown Resource Library

The Program maintains a comprehensive collection of over 100 publications, newsletters, and audio-visual materials addressing a wide variety of revitalization topics. Materials are available on loan.

v Vermont Downtown Network
The Program holds quarterly meetings with participants from communities involved with revitalization or interested in starting the process. The meetings provide an opportunity for participants to share stories and learn new ideas.

v Annual Conference

The Program sponsors a conference featuring local and national revitalization experts.

v Comprehensive Training Program

The Downtown Program offers Comprehensive Training services to local programs that wish to receive more intensive training. The training is structured to help local organizations grow during their first five years. The Program consists of on-site training and technical assistance, consulting, and a series of statewide workshops. The training begins with the basics of revitalization during the first year. In subsequent years, the training progresses to more advanced revitalization topics – such as large-scale building rehabilitation projects and small business development -- and participants receive more targeted consulting expertise. To begin the Comprehensive Training Program, there must be a local program with a demonstrated readiness and commitment to participate in the training. Downtown designation, as described below, is not required for this training.

Downtown Designation

The 1998 Downtown Development Act provides substantial support for downtown revitalization. Towns that receive downtown designation under the Act are eligible for a number of benefits, including tax credits, loans and grants from various state agencies. To qualify, towns must develop a comprehensive revitalization strategy for the downtown district and demonstrate broad-based community support. The strategy must involve a long-term commitment to enhancing economic opportunities, preserving historic buildings, and improving public spaces and infrastructure in the commercial district. Interested communities should contact the Vermont Downtown Program for more information. While participation in the Vermont Downtown Program’s Comprehensive Training Program is recommended, it is not required for downtown designation.

How to Get Started

If you’ve been thinking about getting involved or starting a revitalization effort in your town, here are some ideas for how to begin:

v Contact your town officials to find out if a downtown revitalization organization
has formed in your town. If a local program has started, volunteer your time and expertise.

v Invite a downtown manager from a nearby town to speak to participants in your community.

v Visit a downtown organization in another town and speak with the staff and volunteer leaders about how their program works and what the benefits are.

v Tell local government staff, officials, and local business organizations how important downtown is to you. Encourage them to pursue public-private partnerships to revitalize your downtown.

v Enlist the input and support of business owners, property owners, local government officials, the chamber of commerce, historic preservation groups, your neighbors, and other key public and private civic leaders.

v Work with others in the community to schedule a public meeting. Invite every group that should have an interest in your downtown’s future to meet and discuss the needs and opportunities for change in the community.

v Organize a special event or festival in the commercial district to highlight how important the downtown is to the community economically, historically, and culturally.

v Explore the selection of over 100 publications and audio-visual materials in the Downtown Resource Library maintained by the Vermont Downtown Program.

v Call the Vermont Downtown Program if you have questions about how to begin a downtown revitalization program. 802-828-3211.

Vermont Downtown Program

Agency of Commerce and Community Development

National Life Building, Drawer 20, Montpelier, Vermont 05620-0501

www.historicvermont.org

A Guide to Revitalizing Vermont's Downtowns