OK, NOW YOU’VE TAKEN THE INTIAL STEPS TO BECOME BUSINESS FRIENDLY…WHAT CAN THE BUSINESSES DO TO HELP THEIR OWN SITUATION?

The first step should be to organize!  City Hall, local businesses, downtown property owners and the public should come together to identify the issues and work on solutions.  The last thing most people want is another committee to join, however if there is a commitment to meet at a certain time, end at a specific time and stick to the topics at hand…the pool of willing participants will be there.

Strive to make your downtown look like something out of the ordinary is going on…this applies to all visual aspects of downtown.  Everything should be up for discussion and consideration:

What will it hurt to ask property owners to keep up their buildings?

Remove weeds between sidewalk and the building

Keep the area in front of a building clear of debris / garbage

Wash store front windows

Encourage painting and other visual improvements

Encourage property owners to utilize their store front windows or allow local artists to do so (more about this later)

WHAT’S UP WITH YOUR SIGN ORDINANCE?
One of the bigger areas of dispute between businesses and their local government involves the topic of signs.  While some communities are in a position to dictate the terms for business signage, many communities are unnecessarily  rigid.  Most communities should ask themselves:


• Is the commercial sign ordinance business friendly?

• Is the community at least open to considering non-traditional types of signs?  Creativity should be encourage, not squashed.

• Is the cost of a sign permit reasonable?

• Are signs over the sidewalk allowed; why not.  As long as the sign is secure why worry about  which direction it is installed (flat against the building or over the sidewalk)?

• Does the community allow the use of neon…why not?

• Cities need to consider easing sign regulations that are unreasonable.  Unless cities have a compelling reason to be restrictive; it should be a partner to the downtown business community; not   an obstacle.

  

The second move also BELONGS TO THE city:   Is your city government business friendly or at least business cooperative?

How hard is it for a business to set up operations in your community? How many permits, how many meetings and how much time is actually involved?

Are costs for opening and operating a business reasonable?

Are liquor licenses reasonably priced and granted by following a clear, reasonable and consistent process?

Are your downtown parking regulations responsible and rational?  

If no one is coming to your downtown, why are you putting time limits on parking?  Do not make it unnecessarily difficult for a business to attract and keep customers. 

If a business wants to have tables outside on the sidewalk would the city allow it?  Why not?

Does your community allow businesses to put objects (items for sale, artwork, items designed to attract the attention of potential shoppers) on the sidewalk during operating hours?   Why not?

 

THE FIRST MOVE BELONGS TO THE CITY:

If the city government isn’t serious about making its downtown a better place, the residents and local business community will likely not be receptive to what is being  proposed.   Let’s begin by covering what the city government needs to do to get the process started…

Get the local media involved.  They’re community based, they can help spread the word on what the city proposes and they need news to publish.  Once the city has announced its intentions, the effort undertaken should cover every possible issue that needs to be addressed.

Clean and repair city property (streets, sidewalks, curbs, etc.)  

Remove weeds / vegetation from the sidewalks, next to buildings, in the curb and in the street.  Nothing says “death” in a downtown like weeds growing through the streets.

If downtown has trash receptacles; is the trash picked up? Is the overall area cleaned on a consistent basis?   Consider using 4-H clubs, Boy Scouts, Lions Club, Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce or other civic groups to do a major clean-up day. Work with these groups to take part in a plan for ongoing upkeep.

If the budget allows; patch pot holes, replace or repair compromised sidewalks / crosswalks.  This is an appearance issue as well as an insurance consideration.  

        

Paint curbs where parking is not allowed

Are street lights working?  If you aren’t going to fix them - remove them!

Are alleys properly signed for traffic direction?

Paint fire hydrants and other city owned property visible to the public.

Are all traffic signs in place and good repair?   Ask for hand me down signs from other governments if you need to. Besides being annoying, unreadable signs are an insurance risk for your community.

Are there confusing or conflicting traffic signs that make no sense and should be removed?

Remove broken public fixtures like planters and garbage cans...better yet fix or replace them if the city can afford to do so.

It wouldn’t hurt to have your city’s insurance agent walk through the downtown to identify any risks you may have overlooked. While sometimes annoying, your insurance agent is a great source of "outside eyes" for your community.

Now that you THINK you have the city’s issues under control; find people from outside the community to look over your downtown to make sure you didn’t miss anything.  Ask individuals from a neighboring community or local community college to walk through downtown and make observations.

Now that downtown has been cleaned up; commit to keeping it that way by having an actual plan and schedule for clean up and periodic inspection for repair issues.