In the mid 1990s many of Oakland County's historic, traditional downtowns were faced with multiple redevelopment challenges. While some were experiencing investment, many commercial districts suffered from varying degrees of blight and decay. Storefronts stood vacant. Jobs were lost and tax revenues had evaporated. There was little comprehensive management and private investment had gone away. The perception was that many communities had all but abandoned their downtowns.
In 1998, leaders from several of these older urban downtowns came to me and asked if downtown redevelopment help was available from Oakland County. I instructed architects and planners from our Planning & Economic Development Services division to meet with these leaders to better understand their needs and determine how the county could help. After further talks with the communities and my staff, it became immediately clear a new position should be created to focus exclusively on downtown revitalization and commercial redevelopment.
Within months, I recommended to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners that it create a principal planner position for downtown and commercial redevelopment. The board voted unanimously to fund the new slot. In January 1999, a principal planner in charge of Downtown and Commercial Redevelopment came on board. The new planner, along with other county staff, began to research a wide variety of city, county, state and national commercial redevelopment programs, organizations, legislation and incentives.
Stakeholders and local public officials representing downtown and commercial redevelopment areas throughout the county were invited to participate in a series of open discussions. The talks centered on both the needs of the communities and defining the range of technical assistance services that the county could provide. It was agreed that the Main Street program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. was the most successful and comprehensive downtown revitalization and commercial redevelopment program in the country.
However, there was still a hurdle to overcome. Oakland County would first have to become a partner with the National Main Street Center (NMSC). Previously, the program was only available at the state level and could only be coordinated by a statewide agency. But we made a compelling case. We showed the National Main Street Center the 30 traditional downtowns in Oakland County. We convinced Stephanie Redman, manager of technical services at the NMSC, to come to Oakland County to assess our request in person. We wanted to become the first full-service countywide Main Street program in the United States.
Ms. Redman returned to Washington, D.C. to discuss her findings with officials from the National Trust. It didn't take long. Within two weeks we had our answer. The National Main Street Center had given Oakland County a resounding "thumbs-up."
In February 2000 Oakland County entered into a contract with the National Trust and Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) was born. Main Street Oakland County's mission was soon defined:
To maximize the economic potential and to preserve the heritage and sense of place of Oakland County's historic commercial districts by encouraging and facilitating the use of the Main Street Four Point Approach which emphasizes comprehensive economic development within the context of historic preservation.
In June 2000, seven communities applied to become members of Main Street Oakland County's first class. Membership is determined by a competitive application. The process requires communities to complete a written application for review and evaluation by a broad-based Selection Committee using pre-established criteria. The community applicants must also make an informational presentation to the Selection Committee before a selection is made. Three months later, Royal Oak, Rochester and Walled Lake became charter members of Main Street Oakland County.
Main Street communities receive intensive technical services to help them develop their local programs and address specific downtown economic development issues. An assessment is conducted in each community to determine the level of technical assistance needed to support the existing revitalization programs. That's followed by a two-day Main Street 101 training session on the basic fundamentals of the Main Street approach and another session for manager orientation.
A Resource Team studies the downtown and builds on the Needs Assessment and makes detailed recommendations to the downtown organization. Each team is tailored to meet the specific needs and circumstances of that community's downtown. A Technical Team visit is designed to solve specific problems by providing highly specialized assistance to a community. Such problems could include parking, business recruitment or market analysis.
At the end of the year, the communities receive an evaluation to provide feedback about successes and offer suggestions for improvement and future projects. After the intensive training received during the first year, selected communities continue to receive technical assistance at a less intense level.
In the four years that have passed since Main Street Oakland's first class, seven more communities have been added to the program: Ferndale, Holly and Lake Orion were admitted to the program in 2001. In 2002, Farmington and Pontiac were admitted. And in 2004, Oxford and Ortonville became Main Street communities.
Michigan followed Oakland County's lead and reestablished a Main Street program. The state program initially ran from 1983-1986 but it was disbanded. When the state rejoined the National Historic Trust, it used the MSOC program as a model for its program.
Once they become members, local communities are required to supply Oakland County with their annual reinvestment statistics to assess their program success. This data is then submitted to the National Trust Main Street Center for inclusion in its annual report. The success of our program has been stunning. This is tremendous news, considering the program is only four years old. Look at the numbers through 2004:
$273,531,396 was spent for new public and private Improvements, including:
$41,545,138 for DDA/TIF/MS program management, committee projects/tasks/activities costs, operations and staff.
$20,458,699 for public improvements (other than DDA funded projects) such as streets, sidewalks, trees, lighting, parking, sewer and water.
$211,527,559 for private-sector investment leveraged for new buildings, building rehab, and general building improvements within all the DDA Districts.
1,799 new jobs were created.
267 new businesses were established.
1,437,009 square feet of new floor space was built
509 new housing units were built.
43,025 volunteer hours were invested by community residents, property owners and business owners in all local MSOC programs. This time went to serve on DDA/MS Boards, as members of their four working committees, and as project/event volunteers.
323 Special Events were held, including festivals and retail events.
841 Advertising Opportunities were provided to downtown business owners.
$3,661,557 in Cash Sponsorship was received.
Look at the reaction from the business community and some leaders from the downtowns.
Steve Schneemann, an architect and official in the Farmington Development Group, is developing The Orchard, a $5 million, 32-unit condominium development. He told The Detroit News in a recent story:
"If it hadn't been for the Main Street Oakland County program creating such a burst of energy in downtown Farmington we wouldn't have taken a chance to develop property in the area. Having the backing of Main Street was a significant sign to us that the city was serious about welcoming redevelopment."
Charlene Long, managing director of the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority said:
"The City of Walled Lake's participation in the Main Street Oakland County Program over the past four years has proven itself to be a real catalyst to new development and revitalization in the downtown. It has pulled people together through many different venues including special events and volunteerism. The existing business community has also benefited from the services and support afforded them through this program. The city has been provided with an avenue of networking, information, technical support and visibility that would not have been possible if it were not for our participation in this dynamic and successful county program"
Tonya Meyers, a Rochester resident, said:
"New and exciting things continue to pop up in the community and it's great to see that city officials are making decisions to better cater to the quality of life of the people who live here."
There are nearly 30 historic downtowns or town centers in Oakland County. All of them can potentially benefit from the MSOC program. I want to continue to expand the Main Street program, not only for traditional downtowns but for commercial areas that do not fit the Main Street model. We are also exploring ways to expand commercial revitalization services in these tight fiscal times. One approach already happening is to have more established Main Street Oakland County communities function as mentors to new communities coming on board.
Another challenge will be working with our small historic town centers, places like Davisburg, Franklin and Leonard. These small downtowns fit the Main Street model perfectly, but it may be difficult for a small town to afford to hire a Main Street manager the program requires. We're also in the beginning stages of developing a set of economic development services for the non-historic and newly developing downtowns. The services would be modeled after Main Street but without the historic preservation element. Some of these service offerings could be available to commercial corridors as well.
While Main Street Oakland County is a young program, already the benefits can be seen in its economic growth. But the social and community benefits of the program -- while hard to measure -- cannot be ignored. By keeping our downtowns economically strong we preserve important social gathering places and community identities. This contributes to maintaining diversity of lifestyle choice that makes Oakland County the preferred place to live, work and play.
In the mid 1990s many of Oakland County's historic, traditional downtowns were faced with multiple redevelopment challenges. While some were experiencing investment, many commercial districts suffered from varying degrees of blight and decay. Storefronts stood vacant. Jobs were lost and tax revenues had evaporated. There was little comprehensive management and private investment had gone away. The perception was that many communities had all but abandoned their downtowns.
In June 2000, seven communities applied to become members of Main Street Oakland County's first class. Membership is determined by a competitive application. The process requires communities to complete a written application for review and evaluation by a broad-based Selection Committee using pre-established criteria. The community applicants must also make an informational presentation to the Selection Committee before a selection is made. Three months later, Royal Oak, Rochester and Walled Lake became charter members of Main Street Oakland County.
not fit the Main Street model. We are also exploring ways to expand commercial revitalization services in these tight fiscal times. One approach already happening is to have more established Main Street Oakland County communities function as mentors to new communities coming on board.