News Article: A Tale of 3 Downtowns

A reporter from The Burlington Times newspaper, based in Burlington, NC, called me and asked about urban revival. Some of my comments have been used in the editorial that came out in Burlington Times. My article has been reproduced below, and my comments have been italicized.


A TALE OF THREE DOWNTOWNS

Since the beginning of 2016, three of Alamance County’s largest communities have made strategic moves to elevate the profiles of their downtowns.

Each is at a crossroads of sorts, moving forward with plans for their respective town and city centers, buoyed by an improving economy that sank with the Great Recession.

IN JANUARY, the town of Elon hired Kathleen Patterson as its first downtown administrator. She will help implement a 77-page master plan the Board of Aldermen adopted in 2014.The plan said there was a consensus that the concept of a “downtown Elon” does not exist in the consciousness of town residents.

Downtown Elon’s biggest challenge now could be termed a double-edged sword: It has a 100 percent occupancy rate.

While that might look good on paper, it also means that there is no space for new residents and businesses.

“Downtown Elon is 100 percent full from a commercial and residential standpoint,” Patterson said. “Our biggest challenge right now is the need for more commercial space to offer entrepreneurs who want to have a business and housing choices for those who want to live in downtown.”

She said that while the majority of downtown Elon is residential, it’s not dense residential, which poses another challenge.

“We have a large number of single-family homes that are rented to students,” Patterson said. “Our hope is to work with landowners to create denser residential options, along with mixed-use options to provide additional commercial space. with more options for living, eating, shopping and working.”

And then there’s another type of space that downtown needs: parking.

“Elon is no different than any downtown when it comes to parking — there is not enough,” Patterson said. “ We have worked with our downtown business and property owners on the parking hours to ensure that there is adequate time for customers to shop and dine, while balancing the need for turnover of the spaces. The town is exploring others ways to increase parking in the downtown.”

IN FEBRUARY, the town of Gibsonville received a report from Rose & Associates that audited the potential and pitfalls of its downtown.

The biggest concern, it seems, for the Board of Aldermen, particularly Mayor Lenny Williams, is luring a grocery store downtown, something that the town has not had since 2008, when Lowe’s Foods left its Burke Street location.

In January, the town drafted a new incentives policy, ostensibly to draw new business and industry of almost any type to the town, but obviously meant to lure a grocery store. The board approved the plan after the owner of the former grocery store space asked for incentives that could be used as a bargaining tool in getting a grocery store downtown.

But the report from Rose & Associates, a Davidson consulting firm, put a bit of a damper on that plan. According to the audit, the town would have to substantially increase its population base to attract a grocery chain. Most chains are searching for locations that will attract enough shoppers within an eight-minute drive of the location, said Kathleen Rose, the firm’s president.

The current market likely wouldn’t support a grocery store in downtown because the total population needed to support one is within at least a 10-minute drive.

According to a 2014 survey, residents used words like “friendly, “hometown” and “farmers markets” to describe Gibsonville. The town has a regular farmer’s market downtown in the growing season.

To that end, the report recommends that downtown Gibsonville take full advantage of its small-town character and transform the downtown into haven for specialty shops and artists.

Neil Bromilow, the chairman of the town’s Downtown Promotions Committee, said the town has been working on revitalizing its downtown since 2005 and rejuvenated its efforts in 2014.

“Alamance County is now picking back up where we were before the 2008 recession,” he said. “We are uniquely located in the last frontier between Winston-Salem and Greensboro to the west, and Raleigh and Durham to the east, so land is still available, and access is easy to other markets.”

One thing that the town decided not to do was rebrand itself. It’s always been known as the “City of Roses.”

“We did not rebrand ourselves after conducting several community surveys, but decided to emphasize our brand as the ‘City of Roses,’ which is that quaint, little town next door,” he said.
Bromilow also emphasized the walkability of downtown. which is a key factor is attracting people downtown, said Tonmoy Islam, an assistant professor of economics at Elon University.

“The more walkable a downtown is, the more people would be willing to walk around and enjoy the area,” he said. “A downtown that is very dependent on cars may not be able to attract people from all income segments. Downtown should have small shops that cater to all income groups, and also plazas and parks and other public places where people can congregate and feel part of the greater whole. The area can also have farmers markets, outdoor art shows, and could even have concerts in summer to attract people to visit that area.”

The farmers market and summer concerts are things that downtown Gibsonville has going for it, Bromilow said.

“Now that more people see the benefit of living within walking distance of community services, restaurants, shops, personal care, churches, social gathering spaces and community activities, such as the farmers market, free concerts and free movies, the concept of converting empty mills and vacant ground to market-rate housing is not as farfetched an idea that it once was,” he said.

IN FEBRUARY, the Burlington Downtown Corp. launched what is perhaps its most ambitious effort to revitalize downtown in recent years with a new branding campaign. Its slogan: Downtown Burlington: Get In.

Anne Morris, president of the corporation, said the rebranding has been well-received, with the corporation getting inquiries from businesses looking to open downtown. Morris declined to describe or identify the businesses.

She said her organization is pursuing a co-working space for downtown, where people rent desks and offices by the day or month. Right now, there are two co-working spaces in Alamance County, one in Saxapahaw and one in Graham.

The owners of May Hosiery Mill are trying to get it on the National Register of Historic Places, so the space on South Main Street would be eligible for historic tax credits, making the building more attractive to developers. One of the owners told the Times-News last year that he envisioned a mixed-use space of businesses and residences.

East Front Street is seeing a resurgence that really took off with the opening of the city’s co-op grocery store, Company Shops Market. Four new businesses recently moved into spaces on the 100 block of the street, and three apartments are being completed on the block.

Burlington Beerworks, which will be a craft brewery, pub and restaurant, is expected to open later this year at East Front and Main streets.

Islam, the Elon assistant professor, points to some of the old warehouses in downtown that could be converted into open space, with tables, benches and artwork.

“There can be provisions for small shops that sell a wide variety of food, coffee and antiques, for example,” he said. “Some areas can be rented out to offices. Open spaces could be used to hold concerts, farmers market, or even art competitions. However, the main aim should be to encourage local businesses to set up in that area, instead of trying to attract shops and businesses from out of state.”

Advertising Burlington as a destination should be done carefully, Islam said.

“A statewide campaign to attract people to downtown Burlington may be a good way to attract day tourists,” he said. “However, the city should not advertise nationally in the beginning. After Burlington has some degree of name recognition in the state, the city may start advertising about downtown Burlington in the neighboring states. However, that should be done gradually.”

COOPERATION IS A KEY to a successful downtown, the experts say.

“To succeed you have to have the commitment to change and grow from all of the stakeholders: elected officials, residents, staff business, landowners, developers and higher education,” Patterson said. “Downtown revitalization is a journey with many opportunities to fail and many opportunities to succeed. Having the commitment to get up when you fall down and continue forward is vital to success.”

John Barnhart, president of Destination Downtown Mebane, agrees. During the past decade, the downtown has gone through a rejuvenation. It’s so popular, he said, that when a storefront becomes vacant, “three or four” businesses are in line to rent it.

Mebane rebranded itself in 2014 with the slogan, “Mebane: Positively Charming.”

Most recently, Mebane scored what the other three downtowns want: a place for people to live. Tenants have begun moving into the 156-unit The Lofts at White Furniture, the former furniture company that has been converted.

Barnhart credits the city’s working with downtown stakeholders to make downtown a place where people want to go.

The latest example, he said, is the 32-acre park that is being built on West Clay Street near downtown.

“There is more than just Tanger Outlets and Wal-Mart here,” he said. “That is one of the hurdles we had to overcome. You have to distinguish yourself from the malls and whatnot.”

Islam cites Greensboro, Durham and Asheville as cities that have done a good job revitalizing their downtowns.

“Durham was able to convert a number of empty and vacant lots into spaces that are attracting people and businesses,” he said. “Greensboro has a very vibrant downtown, and so does Asheville.”

Islam added that Alamance County downtowns can co-exist with Tanger Outlets, two major shopping centers that attract people from all over the region.

“Alamance Crossing and Tanger Outlets cater mainly to shoppers,” he said. “These areas are not very walkable. I wouldn’t call them public spaces. They also don’t have a local feel because they are mainly housing big stores.

“If an Alamance County downtown has a local feel, with local restaurants, coffee shops and other local shops with public spaces and walking areas, I think it can successfully compete with those big shopping centers.”