Cultivating Vitality a Strategy to Create a Thriving Downtown Nashua
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Cultivating Vitality A Strategy to Create a Thriving Downtown Nashua Attachments A Report of the Services Advisory Committee November 2010 Attachment A Summary of Services Advisory Committee (SAC) Meetings A-1 Services Advisory Committee Meeting Summaries Summary of Discussion 2009: December 11 Presentation by Great American Downtown December 18 Downtown Nashua Business Survey Overview by Tom Galligani Business Improvement District (BID) o Advantages and disadvantages o Two successful downtowns . Portsmouth, NH (has no BID) . Portland, ME (has a BID) o Possible Bid district boundaries in Nashua—the Hunt Community Center to the Hunt Building, noting differences between Main Street north and south of Hollis Street o Use of parking meter revenue for Downtown improvements 2010: January 8 Sources of funding Downtown improvements, including BID, parking meter increases, increase number of parking spaces by adding angled parking Difference between South Main Street (community-based businesses) and North Main Street (destination businesses) Possibility of incremental implementation of a BID, with Phase I encompassing Downtown parking areas January 15 Review of Downtown Nashua parking map and discussion of BID boundaries Importance of redesigning parking to angled parking Capital improvements to redo Main Street should be part of BID budget and major projects should be included within the scope of the BID to have a major impact in Downtown Determination must be made about use of additional meter revenue to fund Downtown improvements Two motions were passed: o At this time there will be no assessment on property values to fund the Business Improvement District. o The BID Committee shall use as a guide those areas serviced by parking meters in Downtown Nashua to determine the Business Improvement District. January 22 Long term structural changes and short term streetscape improvements are needed A-2 Revenue raised using a dynamic pricing model (charging different parking rates at different locations and times) could be used to meet the needs of Downtown Any plan to improve Downtown should include organization, promotion, design, and economic restricting, commonly known as The Main Street Approach Committee consensus to focus on three priorities in Downtown o Marketing o Maintenance and beautification o Safety After installing “Pay and Display” parking meters, Manchester experienced a 50% increase in revenue Importance of physical infrastructure to successful Downtowns includes parking, street furniture, marketing, special events, and safety. Goal is to encourage people to linger and stay Downtown longer January 29 Funding options o Tax assessment o Increased parking revenue Mayor Lozeau spoke to the Committee and stated the primary focus of the SAC should be to determine the needs of the Downtown and make a recommendation (positive or negative) on the feasibility of a BID as a tool for downtown revitalization. She stated the Committee may also choose to provide recommendations on other strategies. The Mayor reiterated the importance of public participation in the process. February 5 Downtown Nashua Consumer Survey Overview by Tom Galligani and Linda LaFleur Public information session to be scheduled to gather input from Downtown stakeholders February 12 Comparison of parking meter rates o $1.50 for two hours (Manchester, NH) o $1.00 for ½ hour (Lowell, MA and Burlington, VT) o $1.00 for 1 hour (Providence, RI) o $0.50 for 1 hour (Nashua, NH) Both business owners and consumers must be vested in Downtown. If consumers are expected to pay higher parking rates, owners should pay something, even a minimal tax assessment Possible BID boundaries were discussed Committee decided to conduct research by calling property and business owners in other communities operating BIDs A-3 February 19 Committee members summarized their conversations with business and property owners in other BIDs (Burlington, VT; Portland, ME; Springfield, MA) Committee decided to speak to BID administrators next February 26 Committee members summarized their conversations with BID administrators (Portland, ME; Troy, NY) Lowell, MA revitalization discussed Downtown Nashua parking areas and meters locations were discussed Downtown Nashua needs must be defined and then the best way to meet those needs must be determined March 5 Public information sessions discussed Extensive public outreach planned so Committee can obtain stakeholder input March 12 Angelo Marino, Nashua’s Chief Assessor, presented Committee with a GIS aerial photo view of area from the Hunt Building to the Hunt Community Building Parking meter locations also viewed, Committee noted inconsistencies of meters throughout City March 19 March 30th Public Information Session planned – content and outreach April 2 Committee reviewed issues raised and revitalization strategies favored by stakeholders at 3/30 Public Information Session Possible BID boundaries and budget discussed April 16 Committee members summarized their discussions with other cities currently operating a BID (Manchester, NH; Hyannis, MA; Portland, ME; Portland; MA – contacted, but does not have a BID) Success of “Parking Benefit District” in Pasadena, CA discussed April 23 May 4th Public Information session planned – content and outreach May 14 Committee discussed Public Information Session held on May 4th Pros and Cons of a BID discussed May 21 Discussed Committee report to be written containing recommendations to revitalize Downtown June 4 Chair Blaisdell summarized her meeting with Mayor Lozeau updating her on the Committee’s progress to date Committee reviewed A-4 o a map outlining the proposed BID o a budget for Downtown revitalization o management of a Downtown revitalization initiative June 25 Reviewed preliminary report and discussed recommendations Importance of stakeholder input discussed, report will be made available for review on Committee’s webpage August 20 Reviewed draft report and discussed recommendations November 5 Discussed feedback from October 12th Public Forum. Discussed updates to and then finalized report A-5 A-6 Attachment B Business Owner Survey A-7 Downtown Nashua Business Survey CONTACT INFORMATION 1. Providing contact information is optional. However, providing this information will enable us to better understand the needs of specific types of businesses and to respond to specific issues that are identified. Please keep in mind that all responses will be kept completely confidential. Any publicized results will be reported in a summarized format only. Contact Name: Business Name: Business Address: Email: Phone: Website: Fax: 2. Which category best describes the type of your business? ORetail OOffice ORestaurant OResearch & Development OMedical/Doctor’s Office OIndustrial / Manufacturing OLaw Office OArts and Culture NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT 3. Please rate the degree to which you are experiencing the following business challenges? ( mark ONE answer for each item) Major Challenge (-3) Minor Challenge (-2) Don’t Know (-1) No Challenge (0) Conflict with building owner or tenant OOOO Difficulty recruiting or retaining employees OOOO Expensive or unavailable products OOOO Expensive or unavailable utilities OOOO Expensive employee wages or benefits OOOO Expensive rent OOOO Expensive shipping or transportation OOOO Insufficient financing OOOO Insufficient parking OOOO In-town competition OOOO Out-of-town competition OOOO Language barriers OOOO A-8 Page 1 Downtown Nashua Business Survey Poor building condition OOOO Restrictive business regulations OOOO Shoplifting or theft OOOO Unskilled workers OOOO Vandalism OOOO Other OOOO 4. Could you or your employees use information on or assistance with the following topics? ( mark ONE answer for each item) Definitely (2) Probably (1) Unsure (0) Probably Not (-1) Definitely Not (-2) Business planning OOOOO Financial management OOOOO Inventory management OOOOO Advertising or marketing OOOOO Employee hiring or training OOOOO Customer service or hospitality OOOOO Building improvements OOOOO Window displays or interior store design OOOOO Business market analysis OOOOO Internet or E-Commerce OOOOO Transfer of ownership or selling a business OOOOO Other ______________________________ OOOOO 5. How useful to your business are these existing products and services offered by Great American Downtown or the City of Nashua Economic Development Office of the Mayor? ( mark ONE answer for each item) Very Useful (3) Useful (1) Don’t Know (-1) Useless (-3) Free business assistance OOOO Networking events (i.e. breakfast/luncheon meetings, business after hours) OOOO Cooperative advertising coordination OOOO Advertising or marketing of Downtown Nashua as shopping destination OOOO Façade grant ……………………………………………………………………….. OOOO Information sharing (i.e. newsletters, flyers, business fact sheets) OOOO Downtown public improvement projects OOOO Downtown business directories, brochures, maps OOOO Web site or Internet resources OOOO Business visitation program OOOO Retail event coordination OOOO Special event coordination OOOO A-9 Page 2 Downtown Nashua Business Survey 6. Which other business incentives or assistance have you used or plan to use for your business? ( mark ONE answer for each item) Have Used (3) Will Use (1) Don’t Know (-1) Won’t Use (-3) Historic Preservation Tax Credits OOOO Free assistance from Small Business Development Center OOOO Free counseling from Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) OOOO US Small Business Administration