Action Plan for Downtown

Action Plan for Downtown

ACTION PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN ORGANIZATION

Over the last several months a great deal of interest has been
generated in the downtown. The Mayor's Conference on Historic
Preservation brought over 160 people closer to a realization of the
significance of Historic Preservation as a part of downtown revitilization. Many people were rudely awakened by the proposal of a 146 m illion
dollar1 development scheme for the downtown redevelopment property known
as parcel A. As a result of all of this interest and activity it is
Important that all groups involved agree upon a logical formalized
process to address the needs of the downtown.
Following is a proposed step by step methodology for transforming
our d iscussion into action:
Step 1
COMMITMENT OF THE M AYOR
Direct an on-going involvement of the Mayor has been shown to
be cf paramount importance in keeping downtown revitilization on track.
The Mayor should be in a position to explain his expectations for tne
downtown and his expectations of groups working toward the revitilizatic;!
of downtown. He should also be prepared to commit to a degree of
personal i nvolvement so that he can provide continuing direction of the
process. He should establish the context or framework within which
subsequent a ctivities take place.
Step 2
C OMMITMENT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR
If a p ublic p rivate partnership is to be successfully formed,
serious c onsideration m ust be given to the d evelopment of l eadership
as a basis for o btaining private sector support. As our examination of
other d owntown efforts has shown, the formation of a core group of
committed v olunteers is an ever present characteristic of successful
efforts. This group should be broadly represented above the c ommunity,
and should focus on those elements which have the potential for
committing resources when needed.
It is suggested that such a core
group be representative of the following segments of the community:
A. Retail professional
B. Industry
C.

Downtown Property owners

2.

D.
E.
F.
G.
H.

Banking
Community groups
Preservation Trust
Cultural interests
The News Times
This group could ultimately be the core of the newly formed
downtown council, which up until this point has b een a loose association
of i nterested individuals.
Step 3
O RGANIZATIONAL MEETING
The m embers of this core group should be invited to meet with uhe
Mayor at City Hall for the purpose of having a dialogue on the c oncepts
of d owntown revitilization. It is at this meeting that the Mayor will
formally make his expectations interests and commitment known. The
group then as.a unit, should set about the task of developing an overall
mission and purpose which will establish the philosophical framework
for downtown revitilization and the activities of the organizations
therein.
Step 4
W ORK P ROGRAM
Once the m ission of the organization has b een clearly defined ,
a series of long and short term goals and o bjectives should be e stablishe
Since the d owntown is m ade up of many components, the group should a ttempt
to address e ach-of t he following areas:
A. M arketing and p romotion for the downtown
B. P hysical p lanning and d evelopment
C. H istoric o reservation and esthetics
•
D. C ulture
E. Housing
F. Transportation
1. Traffic
2. Parking
3. Road r econstruction
^. P ublic t ransportation
G. R ecreation
H. Business developments
I. Financing

3.
Once each of these topics has been addressed in some way, it will
be necessary to obtain a commitment from the group under the direction
of the Mayor to the active pursuit of those items considered of priority.
Step 5

FORMALIZATION OF THE ORGANIZATION

Once its goal has been clearly defined, the organization may
consider e xpanding to encompass other groups and individuals interested
in p ursuing those goals.

A more formal structure may be necessary with

by-laws and articles of incorporation, and it may be necessary to
formally adopt a work program which more specifically addresses the
goals p reviously enumerated. This work program may include timetables
and an enumeration of resource requirements such as:
A.

Financing

B.

Staffing

C.

Delegation

Step 6
IMPLEMENTATION
It is o bvious t hat "bricks and mortar" t ype a ctivities are highly
visible and t herefore m ost desirable in terms of sparking interest
of the d owntown. However, p ublic a cceptance of such efforts may not
occur 1 unless such efforts are properly organized.

The City is presently

embarking upon a restoration of the old jail at 80 Main Street, this
serves as a v ery v isible sign of c ommitment in the d owntown, further,
funds have b een a ppropriated to make the old Danbury Library more
presentable, w hich w ill a lso serve a s a v isible sign t o those businesses
which surround i t .

These p ublic efforts are far easier to a chieve in

the short run and w ill reap considerable benefits in good will.

A ctivlti-

such as sign c ontrol and facade improvement programs which involve a
high d egree of i nteraction b etween the p ublic and p rivate sectors,should
not be u ndertaken u ntil a formalized organizational framework has had
an o pportunity lo b ecome functional.