NORTHAMPTON BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT FORUM

NOVEMBER 3, 2006

DISCUSSION GROUP COMMENTS 

WHAT ARE DOWNTOWN NORTHAMPTON’S CORE COMPETENCIES- WHAT  MAKES THE DOWNTOWN GREAT?

Group 1

• Diverse

• Parking

• Main St

• Vibrant Businesses

• Smith College

Group 2

• Proximity to 5  Colleges

• Lots of Arts and Culture

• Natural Scenic Beauty

• Good Recreation Opportunities

• On I91 corridor

• Owner Operated Businesses

• Pedestrian Friendly

• Small/cohesive downtown

• Reasonable Balance Between Retail and Restaurants

• Lots of People on the Streets –Especially at Night

• Safe

• People Live and Work Downtown

• Great Architecture/ Well Maintained

• Lots to Draw People to Town- Shops, Restaurants, and Entertainment

Group 3

• Physical Beauty

• Civic Responsibility – volunteers

• Progressive  - Acceptance of Diversity, needle exchange

• Residential Life Downtown -24 hour community

• Safe

• Culture/Live Music/Film/Artists

• Friendly

• Urban/Rural Mix

• Bohemian/ Counter-Culture

• Locally Owned Shops

• Great Restaurants

• Walkability

• “Anchor Entities” – 5 Colleges, County  Seat – Stable Employers

• Geographic Location- Close to I91/Boston/NYC

• Historical Site – Coolidge, Truth

Group 4

• Restaurants

• Smith College and 5 Colleges

• Architecture

• Safety

• Cultural Stuff

• Cleaner/ Less Murders

• Pedestrian Friendly/ Walkable

• Diversity – all Walks of Life

• Buy Local/ Independent Stores

• Entrepreneurs

• Entertainment

• ADA

• Family Friendly

• Unique Shops, Entertainment and Arts

• Western New England Capital

• Recreational – Bike Paths/Look Park

Group 5

• Diverse Restaurants

• Special Mix of Retail, Restaurants, Entertainment

• “Walkable”/Pedestrian Friendly

• Safe

• Quality of Downtown Stores

• Arts

Group 6 (### represents priorities)

• Urban Microcosm

• Manageable Urbanity

• Alternative

• Edginess

• Family Friendly

• Dog Friendly

• ###Music and Entertainment- Live Performances

• ###Downtown Residences

• Alive after 5

• Diverstiy

• ###Locally Owned and Unique Shops and Restaurants- Not a Mall

• Walkable

• Variety of Goods and Services

• Pretty/Attractive Downtown

• Well-Educated ( 5 Colleges)

• ###Arts Community

• Outdoor Activities

• ###Safe

WHAT ARE THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEMS/ISSUES THAT DETRACT FROM DOWNTOWN NORTHAMPTON?

Group 1

• No Leadership

• Street People

• City Attitude – “Proud of the number of parking tickets”

• No Attendant in Parking Lots

• Dirty Dumpsters

• Anti- business Zoning

• Drugs

Group 2

• Diminished City Service- garbage all over, lack of cleanliness

• ###Panhandlers

• Low Caliber of Street Musicians

• Drug Use

• Pulaski Park Not Welcoming- Drug Use

• Nagle Walkway Not Welcoming

• Isolated Areas Not Well Lit – Unsavory Activities Flourish

• Overgrown- Poor Lighting

• Lack of Common Goals with Retail and Restaurants

• Lawyers and Therapists Don’t Participate in Improving Things

• Poor Maintenance of Sidewalks, Bricks and Lampposts

• No Strong Gateway to Entrance of the Downtown

• Insufficient Police Presence

• Parking is Difficult

• Need Better Direction to Parking Places

Group 3

• Parking – split views

• Lack of Ethnic Diversity in Leadership Positions

• Concentration of Ownership

• Less Local Ownership

• Fewer Local People Need to Come Downtown to Shop

• Fewer Basic Services Downtown

• Too Tourist Driven

• No clear Entrance

• Disenfranchised People on Street

Group 4

• Parking

• Lack of ADA

• Need for Gateway Improvement

• Corporate Signage

• ###Panhandlers

• Unkept/ Lack of Cleaning Stuff

• Parking Enforcement

• Graffiti/ Posters

• Tree Grates/ Brick Sidewalk Repair

• Poor Public Signage

• High Rents

• Street Lighting Insufficient

• Vacancies

• Plowing

• Lack of State and Local Support

Group  5

• Streets and Sidewalks Need to be Cleaned

• Sidewalks Need to be Cleaned and Maintained

• Market Changes: Demographic Changes

• King St. and All Side Streets Downtown Need Similar Attention

• Need Parking Improvements

• Need Signage Pointing to Parking Garages and Lots

• Lampposts: painting

• Increase Marketing – example – elevate, enhance and renew promotion of arts

• Street Panhandlers a Problem

• Snow Removal

Group  6

• Aggressive  Ticketing

• Parking Shortages

• Parking Difficult

• Increasing Vacancy Rate

• ###High Cost of Rent

• Crime Rate High in Parking Lot Behind Brewery – Car Vandalism

• Safety on Edges of Downtown

• Litter on Edges of Downtown

• ### Street Maintenance Needs Improvement – Cleaning of Sidewalks and Streets, Beautification

• Façade Maintenance

HOW WOULD YOU PRIORITIZE SPENDING ?

“If you had $400,000 to spend annually on services – what would be your key items?”

Group 1

No comments

Group  2

• Get Grants for New Sidewalks

• Take One Road and Have No Cars

• Cultural Festival or Events

• Fund Honor Court ( or Similar Group) for Regular Cleaning

• Support Extra Snow Removal

• More Police Presence with Better Priorities for Public Order

• Better Coordination with City Departments

• Holiday Lights

• Flowers

• Promote Retail, Restaurants and Culture to Out -of-Towners

• Common Promotions with Many Businesses

Group  3

• ###Programs to Help Disenfranchised on Street

• ###Central Cleaning – Get Rid of Graffiti

• More Bicycle Racks

• More Flowers and Trees

• More Lighting

• More Valet Parking, Shuttle Vans, Busses

Group 4

• Regular Cleaning

• Maintenance of Sidewalks

• More Parking

• One Way Tickets for Panhandlers

• Paint the Lampposts

• Fix and Add Benches

• Replace Bad Trees

• 5AM Graffiti and Poster Control

• Street Festivals- Food and Arts  ( Pulaski Park)

• Winter Festival

• Marketing – AdvertisingRadio ( WRNX, Gazette)

• Clean Up Gateway

• Social Service Solutions to Problems

• Promote Economic and Social Diversity

• Signage Improvments

• I91 Signage with Reasons to Come to Northampton

• Billboard Advertising

• Side Street Signage

• Capitalize on “Paradise of America”

Group 5

• Clean Streets and Sidewalks – Presentation of Downtown

• Funding to Help New Entrepreneurs Start in Northampton

• Promote the Garage

• Increase Parking

• Holiday and Winter Lighting

Group  6

• Holiday Lighting

• Downtown Beautification- Improved Plantings and Cleaning

• Façade Improvements

• Improved General Lighting for Ambiance and Safety

• Destination Marketing- Regional, Not Local- Reach Out Beyond County Borders

SUMMARY

POSITIVES

There is a strong consensus about downtown Northampton’s special attributes and qualities that are its greatest strengths. These fall into the following categories:

• Livability – Downtown Northampton is described as a very livable location. It is pedestrian friendly and a welcoming place that embraces diversity and pets. It is physically attractive with a historic architecture and is a dense, compact scale. The downtown also boasts a 24 hour environment with a healthy mix of residential, commercial and cultural activity.

• Healthy Entertainment/Culture/ Arts Scene  – Downtown has a vibrant arts and culture scene with multiple venues for live performances, galleries and crafts.

• Quality Businesses and Restaurants – The mix of independently owned restaurants and quality shops is considered a unique asset. Northampton is viewed as a haven for entrepreneurs and locally owned businesses and restaurants that are progressive, high quality and an attract visitors from the region.

• Safe – While there are a few locations that drug use and vandalism is a problem, Northampton is generally considered safe and not impacted by major crime. 

NEGATIVES

There is also a strong consensus on the negative issues that impact downtown Northampton.

They tend to fall into these following major categories:

• Maintenance and Beautification- These is a general sense that the overall appearance and cleanliness of the downtown is in decline. All groups commented on the need to improve the level of maintenance, graffiti removal and cleaning that is routinely done in the downtown. Additionally landscaping, flowers and façade maintenance we encouraged.

• Nuisance Public Safety Issues – Participants expressed strong concern over more “nuisance” type public safety issues such as panhandling. This difficult issue is seen as a significant deterrent to the enjoyment and sense of safety for downtown patrons.

• Parking – There is concern about the quantity, location, marketing and promotion of available parking the downtown Northampton. Additionally, many participants have a high level of frustration with what is considered “ an aggressive approach to enforcement.”

• Commercial Trends – There is a concern about the consolidation of ownership, anti-business zoning, rising vacancies and rents discourage independent entrepreneurs and negatively impact commercial activity in downtown Northampton. Participants are wary of tipping the balance of the downtown  commercial mix to a more tourist driven base.  

SPENDING PRIORITIES

Many of the ideas on spending priorities are based on the desire to enhance the physical look of downtown Northampton and provide additional opportunities to attract more customers and visitors to businesses and attractions located in the proposed district.

• Maintenance and Beautification: Participants recommended expenditures for enhanced maintenance, sidewalk improvements, graffiti removal,  lighting and other amenities such as bike racks, flowers, trees and holiday lighting.

• Marketing and Events: There is a common consensus that increased marketing and promotional activities would benefit the district. Activities could include things like festivals and cultural events, signage, parking promotions, destination marketing to visitors, joint marketing and promotional events, collaborative media buys etc.

• Social Service/Public Safety Programs to Reduce Panhandlers – This issue generated the widest spectrum of response that ranged from law enforcement actions to enhanced social services to deal with panhandlers and homeless issues. These issues are complicated and will most likely require a multifaceted approach to address.