Editor's Note: This week's post comes to us courtesy of one of our good friends and partners, Scottville Mayor Leon Begue. This post is a reprint of Mayor Begue's response ("My Turn: Main Street 101") to a "Letter to the Editor" in the Ludington Daily News from a local naysayer criticizing their local Main Street program. Scottville has been a Selected Level community in the Michigan Main Street program since 2007.

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By Leon Begue
Mayor
City of Scottville, MI

Recent articles and comments in the newspaper as well as on the web have been directed at the value of the Main Street effort being undertaken by citizens of the City of Scottville. These comments continue to reflect a lack of understanding of what the Main Street effort is all about. When we initiated Main Street a year and a half ago, the greatest fear of the two individuals who got the ball rolling was unrealistic expectations and individuals wishing for a quick fix that would not be the solution. Those unrealistic expectations are now rearing their heads and need to be addressed. When you boil it all down, here is what Main Street is all about.

Scottville Main Street is all about volunteers who are willing to invest their time and effort in finding ways to improve the city in which we live and work. More than 100 volunteers, about 50 of whom participate on a regular basis, work very hard and are very generous with their time and resources, developing and enacting a comprehensive work plan to revitalize our business district.

The basis through which this is being accomplished is by using the Main Street operating structure. That structure is comprised of a Board of Directors and four committees to which these volunteers have dedicated their time and effort. Those committees consist of the Organization Committee, the Economic Restructuring Committee, the Promotions Committee and the Design Committee. This is a proven approach, that when given time and support, has been shown to be a valuable and effective means of revitalizing a downtown district. Both large and small communities have seen real results from implementation of this process to direct their efforts and get everyone working on the same page.

Based upon our Vision and Mission Statements, the Board of Directors (9 volunteers) has charged each of those Committees (each with an additional 6-9 volunteers) with the task of developing annual work plans that address the incremental steps that need to take place to move our business district forward as we rebuild. As this is being written those committees are finalizing their work plans for FY 2009-2010. Based upon those work plans, the generous and committed efforts of the more than 100-strong volunteer base will work diligently to set those plans in motion.

The basic task of the Organization Committee is to manage the volunteer recruitment and development aspects of this process as well as oversee any Grant development and all fund raising needs of the organization.

The Economic Restructuring Committee looks at the issues and strategies around the redevelopment of our downtown businesses. Through tools provided by the National Main Street such as the Community Initiated Development Process, they take a look at underused properties in the business district and do the painstaking work necessary for that property to be properly packaged for redevelopment. This, as you might imagine, is the most involved of the processes, and requires the most technical and entrepreneurial mindset. Through the process, the volunteers are learning more and more about what is available, how to work with the city and the areas where we can look to improve business interaction with the city government. It is only through learning about this process and taking steps to work together that we can improve our situation and enhance our city.

The Promotions Committee pursues activities and events which will bring foot traffic into town and bring satisfied customers into our places of business.

The Design Committee takes a look at the “curb appeal” both of the downtown area but also of the community as a whole. They address a variety of issues such as those related to store front design, window displays; parking lot accessibility, design and maintenance; the eye appeal of how our downtown and residential areas looks and are maintained.
Main Street is not about quick fixes. Yes, we have made some small steps forward, such as the redesign of the Mall area. The Music Festival brought friends and neighbors into Scottville and business into our stores. Developers have visited and expressed interest in two of our vacant buildings. However movement forward also points to the foundation building steps we need to continue to take. We are working on those as we speak.

The decline of the downtowns of communities such as ours, has been taking place for the last 30 to 40 years. Main Street provides the organization and the tools for our volunteers to begin and maintain the rebuilding process of our downtown district. It will be 5 years, 10 years before we will begin to see meaningful and tangible results of the foundations we are building today.

For those who wish to contribute and be part of this rebuilding effort, this coming week will provide a tremendous opportunity. Representatives from National Main Street community will be in Scottville to review what we are doing and suggest ways to assist us in moving forward as we continue to work to better our hometown. For those interested and willing to put forth some effort, this will be an opportunity to add your creative ideas to that process. It is not enough to say the Main Street is all about “fluff”. It is about putting actions to words and volunteering time and effort.

What is Main Street? It is about people working together (for the long haul) to rebuild our community.

Thanks, Leon. We couldn't have said it better ourselves...

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By Joe Borgstrom, Director
Specialized Technical Assistance
& Revitalization Strategy (STARS) Division
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

Editor's Note: This week I have been privileged enough be involved in a conversation (via Facebook group) with a writer from Planning Commissioner’s Journal about how planning and zoning officials can aid in a community’s Main Street efforts. The following is an enhanced version of my response. I have linked to appropriate examples to help further illustrate my points. Click on the above Facebook group link to see the whole conversation.

Believe it or not, a number of communities’ zoning ordinances do not allow upper floor housing. Getting people living back downtown is a critical factor for a number of reasons. Here are the two biggest: 1) It significantly increases foot traffic and demand for goods and services downtown- thus making a bigger case for existing businesses to expand or to attract new ones. 2) By allowing the upper floors to generate new income, it lessens the need for the first floor commercial space to carry the full load of the mortgage payments for the building owner. Allowing upper floor income via housing significantly increases the cash flow an owner can use to make further improvements to their property and/or be able to be more flexible with potential commercial tenants. Some states (like Michigan) even have grants to help building owners renovate these upper floors into residential.

Communities should take steps to allow appropriate zoning for outdoor restaurant seating. This has two major benefits: allows a restaurant additional seating which translates directly into more $$$ which makes it more profitable (and desirable) to have an establishment downtown; and it increases the vibrant appearance of the downtown. The old adage goes, “Nothing attracts people like people.” People seeing other people enjoying outdoor dining makes them want to do the same.

Communities should include transportation considerations (traffic flow, volume, etc.) in their downtown’s plan, but it should not dictate it. Transportation experts are great at making sure people get from point A to point B in as little time and effort as possible. However, when it comes to downtowns, HOW they get from point A to point B can often make the difference between increased sales for merchants and making downtown a race track. Context sensitive designs can go a long way.

Another big thing planning and zoning officials can do to assist their Main Street’s efforts, in my opinion, is to throw out Euclidean-based zoning and establish Form-based codes. (The City of Miami's (FL) Miami21 project does a great job of comparing the two styles. Click here to see more.) In Michigan, our communities’ default thinking on infill or new construction is whether or not its use meets the B-1, B-2, or B-3 zoning. We don’t think about how the building fits in the surrounding built environment, whether or not its to scale with people (more often its to fit cars), if it makes use of a historic property or if its intent is mixed-use or not. This is the trap of Euclidean-based zoning. Form-based codes take all of these things into account and more.

I almost forgot the most important thing of all planning/zoning can do to help Main Street efforts: Get your downtown district on the National Register! This unlocks 20% federal tax credits (and newly minted additional 20% for Michigan credits) on properly done rehab projects on historic properties. This is a HUGE incentive for potential developers.

There are a multitude of ways planning & zoning officials can assist Main Street efforts. Always look to find common ground and achieve common goals. This makes everyone look good and, most importantly, does right by our communities!

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Jodie Willobee
Promotion, Arts and Culture
Michigan Main Street
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

After attending the National Main Street Conference last week in Chicago and getting daily swift jabs to the ribs from “Social” on the left and “Media” on the right, you will not here me disagree with not only their importance but the potential effectiveness. I get it (dodge-weave), I GET IT! If I were born after, say 1980, I would have shown up to the conference wearing the Blogger-Orange and Twitter-Blue shorts. Alas, I’m apparently getting on in years as I was agreeing with the kind gray-haired woman next to me during the “Gen Y” session that it did seem like the two, young 20-something presenters were talking a bit fast.

Nonetheless, if there is one thing I have learned quickly about Main Streeters is that you know how to talk about your downtowns. And for that reason I’m here to say, not only CAN you blog, but you SHOULD blog. And not only that…there is no reason you can’t be a huge hit doing it.

Another great thing about a blog for you Main Street is that it doesn’t need to be posts only from you. I highly encourage you to regularly invite your board members to post something and include local business owners in that mix as well. Why not let a local high school student post something compelling about the downtown or their take on an upcoming festival? The great part about letting others on your blog is that you will continually increase your “followers”, drive more traffic to your website and ultimately, your downtown.

As for Twittering, it is my latest social-accessory to explore. What I can tell you thus far is that there is intriguing information out there about how effective Twitter can be at capturing new, previously elusive markets. Folks who won’t be at the Rotary meetings, won’t be reading the Chamber’s newsletter – but will reading your Tweets – 2 states away and will be adding you to their vacation itinerary. Or, with all the updates they are getting on what is happening in your downtown, they will have their realtor check into building vacancies for their upcoming expansion. Who knows?!

The biggest thing is to start. Be proactive and take hold of these tools to put your downtown on the social media landscape map. You will also show your peers (the others born before 1980) that it isn’t that tough. Consider the Michigan Main Street Team as your official ring-side team, there in your corner, cheering you along – ready with the smelling salts if you need them. Now get out there and show ‘em whatcha got!

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Editor's Note: Ok, so our plan to live blog at the National Main Street Conference didn't go according to plan. Our apologies. However, the conference will still be serving as inspiration for our next few blogs, starting with this week's. A special "thank you" to the several presenters who highlighted our humble little blog as "a Main Street coordinating program who is doing it well." Recognition from our peers and people in our industry is always appreciated. Thank you. On with the Blog.... -JB



By Jamie Schriner-Hooper
Organization Specialist
Michigan Main Street
Michigan State Housing Development Authority


The Michigan Main Street staff just returned from the National Main Street Conference. This was my third time in attendance and as in the past, I came away from the conference with plenty of useful information and good ideas for our Michigan Main Street communities. This year’s conference focused in on Web 2.0. What I heard over and over again is that regardless of one’s field, everyone needs to be on the front end of technology, even just for simple communications.

While this year’s conference focused in on technology, ironically enough, our hotel did not have free wifi, and access at surrounding restaurants was difficult at best. I’m sure that conference attendees without a laptop were in the minority. While only a few years ago, it was fine to simply turn on your out-of-office assistant and change your voicemail to state that you were out of contact until your return date, in today’s world, that is no longer acceptable. While we still turn on that email notice, people still expect a response before you return home. More and more, we are required to remain constantly connected via some sort of means. I felt completely disconnected from the world without a wifi connection for my laptop – even though it was only for four days.

I’m a fairly new Blackberry owner. Prior to that, I had a flip phone for less than a year. I thought that I was an innovator by simply having a cell phone. Granted it was an old one with a battery that wouldn’t stay connected, but people could contact me regardless of where I was. Less than a year and a half after getting rid of that old phone, I now have constant access to the internet, my email, a large contact list, Facebook, Twitter and more with my cell phone. In fact, if I don’t have my phone with me, I panic, wondering what I would do if my car were to break down or I needed to call someone or I had to check who was doing what on Facebook. I’m sure that most of you are now the same way.

This is also the case in the wide world of Main Street. More and more, our communities are expected to not only have a website, but to also have a social media presence. It isn’t enough to have a website that has event dates and contact information; people want to know what the Main Street program is doing throughout the day. People expect to see Twitter “tweets,” Facebook or LinkedIn status updates, MySpace information, blogs, etc. If you’re not connected via a number of social media mechanisms, you’re only reaching a fraction of the audience that could become valuable volunteers, board members, supporters and more. In fact, Main Streets are now using virtual volunteers with great luck. That is, volunteers are recruited online and complete online projects. The Main Street managers often never even meet these folks. All communication is done via the internet and the final project is sent electronically to the Main Street program. Ten years ago, this would never even have been considered.

While the telephone or face-to-face used to be the preferred means of contact, we can’t expect this to continue to be the norm. This week, I sent my first text message to a colleague who was sitting two chairs away in a session. If someone told me even a month ago that I would communicate with someone two feet away via my cell phone, I would have told them that they were crazy. I guess the lesson here is that we need to constantly be readdressing our means of communicating our message. Regardless of your age, or background, if you’re not constantly changing your methods of communication and trying to stay up-to-date, you’ll be placed in the same group with your grandparents trying to figure out how to program the VCR.
We at the Michigan Main Street Center are trying to constantly stay on the front lines of today’s technology and social media. We’re creating a Ning page and are learning about things like Digg and Google Apps. But, we know that we can’t remain stagnant and rely on what we have now. We’ll continue to seek out the best way to communicate all that is going on in the wonderful worlds of our Michigan Main Street communities. As always, if you see a way that we can improve and a site on which we should have a presence, please be sure to let us know. I look forward to seeing you on web!

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Jodie Willobee - Day 3 of my first Main Street conference and I am officially, “Wow’d”. For cities wondering if becoming a Main Street is the way to go, attending this conference would certainly cinch the deal. Sure the sessions so far have been spot on just as you would expect. But it is the solid, positive energy from 1,600 attendees who know the Main Street 4-Point® works that has been the most amazing. There is genuine pride in the people here. You can see it in their face – hear it in their voice – and literally feel it in the room.

On of our Main Street Managers, Tom from Calumet described this conference as a “revival”. I can see how having more than a thousand people all nodding their head in agreement that historic preservation IS economic development could bring up that image. But this isn’t just a case of group-think. I have heard some staggering statistics to support the head nods. Proven results and enthusiastic downtowns will keep me singing Main Street’s praises for a long time. Hallelujah!

NOTE: Actual references to specific religions or political affiliations have been left out of this blog to keep the editor happy (and keep my job in tact).

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Joe Borgstrom- Ok, I'm frustrated. We're here at the National Main Street Conference and its theme is Web 2.0. Great, timely topic. One hitch. No free wi-fi or place for bloggers to set up. There's barely cell signal in the building. Even as I write this, its on a word document that I will save to a jump drive to upload onto one of the four laptops the 1,600 attendees will have to share to access the internet for free. Ugh. That's why the lack of updates. We will continue to struggle on.

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Joe Borgstrom- The Coordinators meeting in the morning were interesting talking about the impact of the economy on local businesses, Main Street programs and even state coordinating programs. Interesting tidbit of the day: Retail giants like Gap and William Sonoma are seeing sales down at 10% and 18%, respectively, while independent retailers who engage in buy local programs are only down only 5%. While not great news, it is encouraging that people are thinking about where they buy more these days and its impact on the local economy.

We took a tour of Wicker Park in the afternoon. What a cool neighborhood. Very artsy with lots of little shops and pubs along the way. We toured an artist colony. I was struck that in this grand metropolis of Chicago, at how much better many of the live-work artist projects MSHDA has been involved with (such as the Armory Arts in Jackson and Avenue of the Arts in Grand Rapids) are than this example. Don’t get me wrong, it was hip and cool and all. I am just even more impressed with the works going on in our state. The projects I mentioned not only have cool, hip vibes to them, but were much nicer (cleaner, better rehabbed) places for these artists to live. Great job Jackson and GR!

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