Frank Joseph Horn, Moderator
Charles A. Heimbaugh, Resource Delegate

Workgroup Members:
Mark Marple, Daniel J. Vaeth, Todd Wade and Lee Wagoner

Neighborhood Business District
A concentration of small, independent businesses that draw from the residential community, which surrounds them.

Charge:
Imagine what Akron’s Neighborhood Business Districts should be like by the year 2025 if it is to remain a world-class city and retain the confidence of its citizens.

Changes that are going to take place and which are out of our control.

Change has the potential to invigorate and strengthen the future of NBD’s.

• FUEL COSTS
  Increasing fuel costs will encourage people to consider travel distance, strengthening local sources of goods, services, and entertainment.

• E-COMMERCE
  Strengthens the potential for small business and NBD’s as live/work communities that improve the quality of work life in telecommuting age. Dining and meeting locations, localized space for employees and employment to facilitate start-up businesses and help them grow, E-commerce infrastructure, and shipping/delivery facilities are opportunities for Neighborhood Business Centers.

• URBAN SPRAWL
  New developments have a more homogenous character than traditional neighborhoods. Existing NBD’s offer a rich variety of history, design, social and economic blends that create unique personalities of place.

Changes we would like to see over which we have some control.

ADVOCACY & PROMOTION
NBD's require awareness of the opportunities available to business owners. The City of Akron is best qualified to ensure that financial and other opportunities are well known to business owners and entrepreneurs. Discussion highlighted specific suggestions to promote healthy NBD's:

Centralized Information - City of Akron WEBSITE providing:

1. Links
2. Listings of neighborhood businesses

3. Listings of available real estate in NBD's
   This effort should be designed to MOTIVATE PRIVATE INTERESTS to keep information current and City costs low.

• RESOURCE CENTER
  Business owners within the city’s NBD’s may lack formal training or education in business skills that are mutually beneficial to the entire district. Additional resources can stimulate individual growth and the district’s overall vibrancy. An educated and organized group of businesses is the NBD’s best chance for success.

  • Education
  • Training Programs
  • Merchants’ Associations
  • Advisory / Leadership Specialists
  • Financial Assistance
  • Collective governance/authority (SID’s, CDC’s, enforce standards & participation)

  • Resource Pool - make it easier for business growth

• SAFETY
  The group notes that, by definition, NBD’s rely on the surrounding residential areas – generally consisting of families - for their support. The perception of safety is vital to attract and retain this customer base.

  • Well-lit public spaces
  • Visible law enforcement
  • Clean surroundings easily supervised by parents and safety forces

• QUALITY
  NBD’s are seldom in a position to compete with large, national chains on the basis of price alone. Quality, service, and reputation are vital to the NBD’s success. Discussion identified the need for:

  • High Quality – good reason to go there
  • Unique merchandise / entertainment
  • Clean, safe appearance
  • Distinct personality / image
  • Goods and services that have real value
  • Variety / compatible mix
  • Pedestrian-friendly

  • Other tangible/recognizable benefit to patronage

Essential values of our community that make Akron different.

NEIGHBORHOODS
Akron remains a "City of Neighborhoods", evoking personal identification with the various small communities that make it up (i.e. North Hill, Ellet, Highland Square, Firestone Park, Goodyear Heights, etc.)

OHIO & ERIE CANAL
The Canal provides an icon of the City’s history and traditions. It offers a unique symbol of Akron.

INGREDIENTS OF SUCCESS: what do families need?

• Security and Safety
• Convenience
• Cleanliness
• Appearance / Quality
  Pedestrian-friendly
  (safe for kids and seniors – i.e. crossing Market Street unsafe for kids going to school at the Elms)
  (festival site to promote community spirit)

• Unique, Homegrown MIX of retail / food / entertainment Requires the right LOOK. Everybody has to use it some time.

What do we do to . . . .

• Encourage Entrepreneurs and Ideas?

• Attract & Recruit Anchors?
  What are they?
  Who are they?
  How do we attract more? (what are the ‘carrots’?)

• Take advantage of Change?
  Changing tastes?
  Healthy food / living?

• Preserve Business Climate?
  Bus transfers right in front of businesses can deter customers and create an "unsafe" impression.
  Absentee landlords?

Objectives and Strategies:

Workgroup members related experience with NBD’s in other cities, and in particular, the New Brunswick, N.J. (Rutgers) CDC.

SUCCESS KEYS:
Shopping within the area – Businesses buy from other businesses in the NBD. Businesses cooperate with one another through common hours, reciprocal discounts, promotions, peer pressure, and the like.
Staff – Creative, energetic, (went door-to-door understanding and engaging each business member) staff provided leadership and manpower to formulate and implement success plans. Staff leadership identified needs and spearheaded solutions.
Image / Appearance – Improvements were made to individual establishments and the NBD area to unify appearance and create a vibrant, high-quality image prior to promotional efforts. Improved appearance and high quality image helped the NBD’s attract/recruit desirable businesses and tenants, creating an energetic commercial mix.

Sow each N.B.D. with "anchors".

ANCHORS draw / attract people to an area. They can be small (i.e. ice cream stands) or large.

Anchors embody the following qualities:

• high quality
• strong reputation
• unique
• everybody has to use it sometime

• willing to take/make time for it (leisure activities or recreation)

Areas MUST PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT INVITES LONGER STAYS in order to benefit from the presence of an Anchor.

EXAMPLES of "ANCHORS":
Restaurants
Churches
Day Care
Dry Cleaners
Ballpark / Sports
All-weather playgrounds for kids
Bakeries / Wedding Cakes
Ice Cream
Food / Groceries
Arts & Crafts

Demonstrate vitality through regular, visible change.

The group observed that NBD’s require movement and visible success at frequent intervals. Discussion highlighted specific suggestions to realize this goal:

• Start with small but highly visible projects (realistic goals)
• Emphasize Beautification Projects
• Incorporate items of lasting value – i.e. blossoming trees (can also become a special event)
• Frequent projects – no long lapses between (5 years MAXIMUM).
• Must have "A NAME" associated with each effort, preferably a significant stakeholder in the NBD.
• Engages Personal Commitment
• Creates Buy-in and fosters Pride
• Promotes Recognition / Awareness
• Make it easy to be successful
• Make it personal

• Must have ACCOUNTABILITY

Focus resources and facilitate success.

During discussion with NBD business representatives, the group identified steps to answer the question of how to focus NBD groups and keep them focussed.

• Find the needs of the District and its businesses by asking individuals within the District.
• Engage the support of those who stand to benefit directly.
• Support ideas and participants with contacts and resources.
• Identify irritants/frustrations – these become the issues to focus on.
• Ensure the presence of traffic stoppers or destinations
• Make the area look and feel SAFE.
  • Cleanliness
  • Lighting

  • Open, inviting storefronts.

Organize and combine efforts.

Law allows landowners within an area to assess themselves for common benefit. Assessments can be used for Soft Costs, which include:

• Promotions
• Enhanced Security

• Enhanced Street Cleaning and Beautification

Formal organization (CDC’s, SID’s, or other vehicles) offers great value to an NBD with the opportunity to retain staff, unify marketing/promotion, and provide a sustained, focused effort toward realizing improvements. Skilled personnel can formulate compatible mix, recruit appropriate businesses, enforce standards, organize promotional events, and maintain the perception of vitality through visible change. Many NBD’s may be too small to underwrite their own organizational structure. A city-wide resource center, supported by member NBD’s, may offer a sustainable vehicle to provide these vital services.

Foster supportive regulatory controls.

Zoning laws, building codes, and other regulatory controls have the potential to invigorate or restrict the success of Neighborhood Business Districts. As a result, governmental agencies are silent partners with NBD’s, and can significantly affect their vitality.

Zoning regulations can:

• Maintain district character
• Protect proportion of business to supporting residential population

• Facilitate district parking solutions

Building Codes can:

• Facilitate adaptive use of existing structures

• Accommodate innovation and creativity

Zoning regulations should not:

• Dilute District Identity by allowing sprawl
• Preclude development in opportune areas

• Relax standards that keep NBD’s successful

Building Codes should not:

• Impose costly requirements

Summary Characteristics of Successful N.B.D.’s:

CONVENIENT (MUST BE COOPERATIVE & COLLECTIVE)

	Open when PEOPLE/customers want open
	Parking

REASON TO GO THERE

	Destination / Anchor
	Spending has other tangible / recognizable benefit

GOOD ENOUGH TO TRAVEL FOR

High quality

REASON TO GO THERE

	Destination / Anchor
	Spending has other tangible / recognizable benefit

SPECIALTY NEEDS

	Shoe repair
	Luggage repair
	Dry Cleaners

ENTERTAINING

UNIQUE

FLEXIBLE REGULATIONS

LOOKS SAFE FOR FAMILIES

APPEARANCE

	Continuity of appearance
	Consistent marketing and image
	Personality

CROSS-REFERRALS / COOPERATION

	Patronage has greater community benefit
	Patronage has personal financial benefit