Archive for Updates

MN Business Improvement Districts: Rochester Convening

Please join the Great Cities Collaborative for a presentation and tour of the Rochester Business Improvement District-BID.  Learn about the successful implementation and outcomes of the Rochester BID.

Date: December 3, 2012

 Time: 8:15 am – 5:00 pm (The bus will leave promptly at 8:15 am and will return by 5:00 pm)

Location: The shuttle will leave from the Target parking lot on Hiawatha and Lake Street.  Please park on the south side of the lot nearest Lake Street. 

Click here to register!

Agenda:

8:30-10:00 am: Travel Minneapolis-Rochester (Yes! The shuttle has WIFI)

10:30 am-12:00 pm- Introduction to the Rochester Business Improvement District

12:00 pm: Lunch and Q/A

1:00- 3:00 pm: Guided Tour of the Rochester Business District
3:00-5:00: Travel Rochester- Minneapolis

 Additional Information:

All are welcome. Business district leaders, businesses, elected officials are strongly encouraged to attend. RSVP required. Space is limited! Register today!

Breakfast rolls and coffee will be provided.

Lunch will also be provided.  Please let us know of any dietary restrictions.

Check out the great work Rochester Business Improvement District is doing:http://www.downtownrochestermn.com/

For more information about BIDS or the Great Cities Collaborative visit our website athttp://www.great-cities.org/

 Click here to register!  or paste this URL into your browser:http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4836055773?utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_eventv2&utm_term=eventname_text#

The Great Cities project is a collaborative research project between NE CDC, SPARC on Rice Street, the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition, University United, the West Bank Business Association and Lake Street Council. The project investigates the implementation process and impact of Business Improvement Districts on commercial corridors and the community. For more information about the collaborative or this event, please contact Jamie Schumacher - jamie-at-thewestbank.org.

Upcoming presentation on BIDs and an update on our work!

We’re excited to announce that we’re hosting a panel presentation!

The Great Cities collaborative is inviting community members, stakeholders, and interested parties to learn about the Business Improvement District model as well as the work they are doing to install this model in the Twin Cities metro area. The group will be giving a panel presentation followed by a question and answer session.

Panel:

  • Carol Jean Becker, Overview of Business Improvement Districts
  • David Feehan, Business Improvement District operations
  • Area Presentations (directors of each org will speak to challenges & progress)
  1. Joyce Wisdom – Lake Street Council: BID Challenges & Benefits: working with existing Special Service Districts
  2. Jamie Schumacher – Northeast Community Development Corporation: Budgets & Change; Investigating the Arts District & targeted marketing
  3. Matthew Ides – SPARC on Rice Street: Transition and leadership; working with City Councilmembers
  4. Brian McMahon – University United: Transit Improvements and Creating an Industrial Business District
  5. Erin Jerabek – West Broadway Business and Area Coalition: Stakeholders & the importance of marketing along commercial corridors
  6. Jamie Schumacher – West Bank Business Association: Working with Institutions and installing a West Bank Improvement District

There will be a Q&A session for participants following panel presentation

Location:     The Southern Theater
1420 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Date:        Tuesday July 17th, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Cost:         Free

The Great Cities project is a collaborative research project between the NE CDC, SPARC on Rice Street, the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition, University United, the West Bank Business Association and Lake Street Council. The project investigates the implementation process and impact of Business Improvement Districts on commercial corridors and the community. For more information about the collaborative or this event, including speaker bios, please contact Jamie Schumacher – jamie@thewestbank.org

To download a pdf version of this spreadsheet, please click here: http://www.great-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/BIDPressRelease1.pdf

Updates and News

Hello!

The past few months have been very busy for our collaborative. A few updates for you are below.

Welcome West Bank!

We’ve been meeting with the West Bank Business Association regularly since last year, and have been collaborating with their board about Business Improvement District implementation. The goal is to put the West Bank Improvement District in place this summer!

You can find out more about the work on the West Bank and some outreach materials here:
http://wbba.thewestbank.org/management-district

Welcome Dave Feehan and Carol Becker!

After a year of researching the pros and cons of installing a Business Improvement District, as well as studying the implications for our respective areas, we’re ready to forge ahead. We received funding from the McKnight to contract with a expert to move the process forward. We’ve decided to work with Carol Becker and Dave Feehan, who come with a balance of practical experience and a wealth of knowledge on BIDs throughout the states. (You may remember a study we posted about a few months ago with a link to Carol’s 2010 US BID Census report.)

Carol and Dave will be working with us to outline with the BIDs will look like in each area, as well helping us craft the budgets, ordinances, and petitions.

We’re looking forward to moving forward!

More updates to come.

the Central Ave Commercial Corridor – Future Planning

Dear Central Avenue friends,

The Northeast Community Development Corporation is hosting an informational conversation about Special Service Districts (SSD), Business Improvement Districts (BID) and their impact along Central Avenue.

The conversation will take place this Wednesday June 29th, 7:30am – 8:30am at Eastside Food Coop (in the Granite Studio.)

I hope you can join us!

-Jamie

Central Avenue Survey – Results!

Survey Responses

  • 50% were property owners
  • 65% were business owners (a few both business and property owners)
  • 50% were familiar with CASSD (Central Ave Special Services District)
  • 35% were familiar with BIDs (Business Improvement Districts – general)

High-Ranking Priorities
(Listed from most to least important, with a three-way tie for the #1 ranking.)

1. Winter Services (avg 4.11)
1. Graffiti Removal (avg 4.11)
1. Filling Vacant Storefronts (avg 4.11)

4. Control over Budgets/Spending (avg 3.89)
5. Marketing Central (avg 3.74)
6. Increased Parking (avg 3.68)
7. Landscaping (avg 3.42)
8. Tree Lights (avg 3.32)
9. Banners (avg 2.74)
10. Snowflake Installation/Repair (avg 2.53)

Other suggestions noted:

  • parking on friday afternoon is bad. clean up existing business store fronts and sidewalk (furniture store and corner mkt on 26th).
  • 5 – window signage, cluttered windows, dirty storefronts
  • 4 (marked “other” but left no note)
  • 3 Safety or Perception of Safety
  • 5 Better storefronts. Name brand restaurant as in, Applebees, TGI Fridays, Chili’s, Any hamburger chain.

Conclusions

The 35% awareness of Business Improvement Districts is not entirely surprising, but the 50% awareness of CASSD is lower than initially expected. Our next step will be to continue outreach and education to the businesses and property owners along Central Avenue.

We are proposing an outreach meeting on the morning of Wednesday June 29th, 2011, 7:30 am. This meeting will be to inform about the work that CASSD is doing on behalf of the local business community as well as to let businesses and property owners know about the research that the Northeast CDC is doing for Central Avenue. The meeting will be filmed and posted online for those not able to attend. More info to come.

Last few days to take the Central Avenue Survey!

Hello!

Are you a business, resident, or property owner on Central between 14th and 28th Ave NE?

If so, please complete the following informational survey. The survey will only take a few minutes and will help the Central Avenue Special Services District determine the next priorities.

In order for your suggestions to be included, please list your name and/or business name.

This survey will close on May 31st, 2011.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE96eVhLc1l3UzRQUlI5cExPalM3cXc6MQ

Great Cities: Business Improvement District Research

Great Cities: Business Improvement District Research

The NE CDC is partnering with four other groups to research Business Improvement Districts and their feasibility in the various areas as well as to identify the process of facilitating the transition.

For the past several months I’ve met with the current advisory board for the Central Avenue Special Services District as well as with my colleagues at SPARC, West Broadway, University United and Lake Street. We created great-cities.org to share research relating to all districts and individual sites like the one here for us to share individual-area related research and outreach tools.