Downtown Assessment Visit

 

The Downtown Assessment Visit program is designed to help Maine communities identify downtown revitalization opportunities and develop a plan for action.

 

The Visit is offered to all Maine communities on a fee for service basis. The Visit will provide participating communities with an external perspective on the opportunities and threats in their downtown business district and recommendations from downtown development professionals on appropriate and immediate downtown revitalization strategies.

 

Over the course of a two-day Downtown Assessment Visit, a two-person Consultant Team examines information about the community, studies plans, meets with community leaders, discusses ideas and presents to the community observations and recommendations specific to the host community’s central business district.  A written report will follow.

 

The Consultant Team includes two professionals experienced in downtown development, one of which is the Director of the Maine Downtown Center. The Team works together to develop observations and recommendations, based upon the National Main Street Center’s Four Point Approach®, which must be addressed in order to increase the value of downtown. These four areas of economic development activity, implemented comprehensively, increase the following values downtown:

 

Organization

Promotion

Design

Economic Restructuring 

 

Each community is unique in its priorities and challenges.  The observations and recommendations will be specific to each community and reflect their priorities and challenges.  The Consultant Team’s report will be as comprehensive as possible taking into account each community’s uniqueness.

 

COST: Please contact us for the cost of a two day visit and written report of recommendations

Under certain parameters, the Department of Economic and Community Development has approved the Downtown Assessment Visit as a downtown planning activity that can be paid for by grants awarded by DECD’s Community Development Block Grant Program for these purposes. Please contact the Community Development Office at the Department of Economic and Community Development (207-624-9819) or the Maine Downtown Center for more information about this opportunity.

 

It is strongly recommended that the local resources be used pay for a portion of the Downtown Assessment Visit costs.

 

Planning for a Downtown Assessment Visit

Click here to view a sample Downtown Assessment Visit agenda and review local responsibilities in planning the visit.

 

Scheduling a Downtown Assessment Visit:

Please contact the Maine Downtown Center to schedule a Downtown Assessment Visit: 207.626.3117 or Kristen Cady, Program Director.