BUILD NEWS Email Newsletter September 30, 2003
-----------------------------------------------------------------This is the email newsletter periodically distributed by the Dane County Better Urban Infill Development (BUILD) Program. For more information, including current and back issues of BUILD NEWS, visit http://www.co.dane.wi.us/plandev/commdev/build.htm. The purpose of this email newsletter is to provide current information related to downtown and neighborhood revitalization and development in Dane County. To be added or removed from the distribution list, or to submit comments or questions, email your request, comment or question to steinhoff@co.dane.wi.us ------------------------------------------------------------------
In This Issue • AROUND THE COUNTY - Verona: Downtown mixed-use project breaks ground • EVENTS • Governor's Conference on Downtown Revitalization • First Annual Business Improvement District Seminar • 2003 Main Street Application Workshop • Conference: Big Boxes in Dane County - Deadline to Register: Friday, October 3 • Main Street Basic Training • ON THE WEB: Building Communities Educational Seminars • Eleven retail trends to track (Main Street News)
___________________________________________________
Downtown mixed-use project breaks ground in Verona
From an article in The Capital Times this summer (Rail district project steams ahead, July 15, 2003) by Bill Novak: "Downtown will have a decidedly different look in six months as construction of retail shops and condominiums begins in the old railroad district straddling the Military Ridge Bike Trail. The railroad district, on the former Burnsell Lumber site, will feature two retail buildings on South Main Street and two condominium buildings, one on each side of the bike trail. Dane County gave a $17,500 BUILD planning grant to Verona to develop an overall downtown plan and will issue a $180,000 community revitalization loan to the Alexander Company to help in the construction of the retail portion of the project." The full story can be accessed at: http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=tct:2003:07:15:273971:COMMUNITIES
EVENTS
October offers a number of events related to downtown revitalization, infill development, and neighborhoods.
The 12th Annual Governor's Conference on Downtown Revitalization "Coming Home to Downtown" is scheduled for October 6-7 in Madison at Lowell Hall. The theme this year
will focus on downtown as a place to live, work and play. The conference is sponsored by Downtown Madison Inc., the Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, the Wisconsin Main Street Program and UW-Extension. Registration has been extended and material is available at:
http://www.wisconsindowntown.org/pdf%20files/WDACGovConfMail_key.pdf
Please call or email Bill Ryan at UW-Extension if you have any questions: 608/263-4994 bill.ryan@uwex.edu
First Annual Wisconsin Business Improvement District (BID) Seminar, October 6 preceding the Governor's Conference on Downtown Revitalization - at the UW-Madison Lowell Center. Chuck Law, Karen Harkness, Jennifer Allyn, and Mary Ann Wepfer to be held on Monday at 10:00. Additionally, Larry Houston of Pennsylvania will be speaking to BID managers. More information about keynote speakers and break-out sessions to come! Contact Regina Gullicksrud at 608/265/8258 if you would like additional information or to register.
2003 Wisconsin Main Street Application Workshop.
October 16, 2003 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Best Western Inn on the Park, 22 Carroll Street, Madison
http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/CD/CD-bdd-events.html
Big Boxes in Dane County: a closer look at their impact and options available to growing communities Registration Deadline: Friday, October 3
Friday, October 17, 2003 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Greenway Station, Wisconsin Trade Center 8401 Greenway Blvd., Middleton, Wisconsin The conference will host local and national speakers to examine in more detail the impacts of big box development on local communities, and options available to address those impacts through design and development. For Registration and Program information go to http://www.co.dane.wi.us/plandev/build/index.shtml or call 261-9781.
National Main Street Basic Training - Chicago
November 3-6, 2003 Omni Ambassador East Hotel Learn about the nationally successful Main Street Approach to commercial district revitalization from the organization that has been the leader in the field for more than 20 years. During this intensive, four-day training, you’ll study each of the four elements of the Main Street ApproachOrganization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring-and find out how these areas can be combined in a local, grassroots initiative to form a dynamic, comprehensive revitalization program appropriate to traditional commercial districts. For details or to download a registration form, please visit
or contact Mary de la Fe at mary_delafe@nthp.org , or 202-588-6219.
ON THE WEB
Building Communities Educational Seminar - From the UW Extension: The Building
Communities educational series will be offered via live, interactive Web programs which are
accessed by the user with a simple web browser and a speakerphone. For more information: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/Building_Community.htm Upcoming seminars include: TAMI 3.0: GIS for the rest of us - October 24, 2003
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/BuildingCommunityDescriptions.htm#TAMI
Big Boxes: Category Killers: The Inside Story - December 12, 2003 http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/BuildingCommunityDescriptions.htm#BIG
Eleven Retail Trends to Track
From the Main Street News (No. 198: July 2003) - Kennedy Smith, Director of National Trust's Main Street Center.
1. Most big companies need less space today than they did a decade ago. More information is stored electronically (rather than in filing cabinets) and more tasks are automated (telephone messages are handled by voicemail, for instance, instead of by receptionists). This means that more companies will be looking for office space in Main Street districts. 2. Big-box stores are beginning to seek out Main Street locations - particularly in larger cities. And they're experimenting with multi-story buildings that complement the built environment of older business districts. 3. While ethnically homogeneous neighborhoods persist, particularly in economically distressed areas, Americans are more than five times as likely to describe their neighborhoods as more multicultural than they were a decade ago. This provides many new opportunities - and challenges - to Main Street businesses in shifting their marketing and merchandise to meet new consumer needs. 4. Baby boomers are beginning to retire - and, increasingly, they want to live in or near a commercial district, within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and services. 5. More women are starting businesses than ever before in U.S. history. The number of businesses owned by women has increased 90 percent in the last 10 years - and the rate continues to accelerate. 6. Local governments are working in closer collaboration with adjacent cities, counties and regions. As regional planning becomes more popular, it provides the opportunity for older business districts in close proximity to one another to develop collaborative strategies for business development, strengthening the overall region by capitalizing on their respective strengths, rather than competing against one another. 7. Fuel-cell-powered electric and hybrid cars are becoming more practical - and more popular. This means there could be fewer gas stations in a decade or two. 8. Retail distribution and shipping technologies are making it easier for Main Street businesses to serve non-local customers quickly and efficiently. 9. People - particularly younger people - will rely on the internet for more services. The internet is already the main communication tool for teenagers in the United States. In a recent poll by Edison Media Research, almost half of all 12-to-34-year-olds said the internet was the "most essential" medium; less than one-third chose television. Wireless internet devices - wi-fi - will
become more common. By offering easy ubiquitous wi-fi access, Main Street districts might become increasingly attractive to Gen-Y visitors. 10. Americans are taking shorter vacations, closer to home, than they did before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, making historic Main Streets attractive weekend destinations. 11. Local governments are subcontracting more services to the private sector in order to cut their core costs. This could provide opportunities for Main Street businesses - and even for revitalization organizations, which might take on some of the services governments typically provide, such as managing public parking areas, issuing and monitoring permits for the use of public spaces, or keeping public spaces clean.