The Main Street Approach focuses on four things to help downtown areas: organization, promotion and marketing, design, and economic restructuring. All these things work together to make downtown better.
For organization, everyone in the downtown area needs to work together to make a plan for the future. This includes the chamber of commerce, merchants, and local residents.
Promotion and marketing means showing off the good things about the city to shoppers, new businesses, and visitors. This includes promoting events and making sure that buildings are ready for businesses to move in.
The design of downtown is important too. Buildings need to be in good shape and look nice, and having a mix of homes and businesses in the same area can make people want to walk around and shop.
Finally, economic restructuring means making sure that there are good buildings available for businesses to move into. If buildings need repairs, the city can offer incentives to owners to fix them, or even take over the building if it’s really run down.
Overall, all of these things work together to make downtown a better place for everyone. Improving the design of downtown areas can attract more people and businesses, and create a better economy. One way to do this is by creating a walking trail for pedestrians to enjoy and feel safe. Economic restructuring can also help by diversifying the types of businesses in the area and encouraging a mix of residential and commercial spaces. Another method is using Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) which can assess additional taxes on local merchants and property owners to fund local services. Finally, legal gaming, like slot machines and casinos, can bring new economic activity to distressed areas. Density is important for creating healthy urban environments. It leads to safer streets, more cultural and commercial activities, better public transportation, nicer parks, and housing, and protects water resources and the environment. There has been a debate between the idea of density and sprawl for a long time. Some people, like Le Corbusier, believe in single-use zoning with commercial areas in the city center and residential areas on the outskirts. Others, like Jane Jacobs, think that cities should have dense, mixed-use neighborhoods where everything is connected and works together for the city to stay healthy. A small town can keep its small-town feel while still growing by building mixed-use neighborhoods downtown. Having a mix of retail stores and housing can make the town more vibrant and convenient for residents and visitors. It’s important to have a variety of housing options, including affordable housing, for people of all income levels. This kind of development can create more jobs, provide a range of goods and services, and make the town a better place to live. This article talks about how real estate attorneys, developers, and planners can work together to improve small-city downtown areas. They suggest making downtown areas more attractive and diverse, with shops, services, restaurants, and housing. It’s important to preserve historic buildings and promote new businesses. By working together, the private and public sectors can help downtown areas grow and thrive. As a lawyer, you can help your clients be part of the plan to improve small-city downtowns. The Florida Main Street program helps revitalize downtown areas in Florida. There are laws and organizations in place to help with redevelopment and historic preservation. Eminent domain can be used to revitalize blighted areas. Some towns like Quincy and Mount Dora have successfully revitalized their downtown areas. Gambling and water use also play a role in downtown revitalization, and there are organizations and resources available to help with this. Harry M. Hipler is a lawyer in Dania Beach who helps with laws related to cities and counties, family issues, and business disputes. He got his law degree in 1975 and a special tax law degree in 1981. This column is written for the City, County and Local Government Law Section by the chair, Mary Helen Campbell, and the editor, Jewel W. Cole. Their goal is to teach lawyers how to serve the public, make the legal system better, and improve the study of law.
Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/economic-redevelopment-of-small-city-downtowns-options-and-considerations-for-the-practitioner-part-2/
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