All Services
Community Visioning
According to the National and Georgia Main Street programs, public input is critical to the strategic planning process for downtown economic development and the new Main Street approach. We can assist you with this important work by planning and facilitating town hall meetings, collecting survey data, holding focus groups, or through the employment of a combination of all three approaches.
Downtown Strategic Work Plan
It's important to plan the work and work the plan. Creating a dynamic and measurable work plan for your downtown is an essential path to prosperity. A solid strategic work plan will identify issues, set priorities, lead to community buy-in, build partnerships, foster commitment, and ensure follow through. Georgia Downtowns will partner with your staff and community to deliver a work plan specifically meeting your needs and vision.
Main Street Launch
Start your Main Street program now. Georgia Downtowns will work with you to set up "shop" and build a model that best fits your downtown. We will put together all of the required essentials, including mission and vision statements, by-laws, budget, annual work plan, and service agreements for the City Council – Main Street relationship. Additionally, we can review or craft your job descriptions and build tools for evaluations, board members' oath of office, confidentiality and conflict of interest statements, and board service agreements.
Great American Main Street Award
Go for it! This award application has specific requirements and guidelines that must be met to be competitive. Using our own experience, we will advise on the application process for the Great American Main Street Award. Georgia Downtowns will conduct a comparative inventory of your program and your economic impact statistics and assist you with the identification of priority issues leading up to your award application. Learn how to effectively tell your story, quantify your case, and be more competitive while seeking this prestigious national award.
Funding Presentations
Do you need grant funds, sponsorship dollars, and resources for your program and projects? Let us help you create a powerful package of visuals and narrative to make you more competitive and successful when you are in search of dollars.
Property Inventories
A strong downtown program depends on a thorough inventory of properties. The program manager needs these details in order to help market vacancies and communicate with new and expanding business owners and property owners, too. Learn how to build and maintain your inventory, show potential business owners wha'ts available, and to track property sales and leases.
Downtown Business Recruitment Event
Do you have vacant buildings that you need to fill? We have an exciting event to market vacant spaces for business and residential uses. The event will bring in potential customers and match them with property owners and business support agencies. Let us help you build excitement and opportunity for filling those vacant spaces.
Preservation Projects Funding
Finding funds for construction and restoration of historic buildings can be a big challenge. We can lead you to a variety of funding sources for project financing and work with you to bring these to the table for your prospects and property owners.
Downtown Boutique Hotels Action Plan
Downtown lodging is a hot trend and is a great amenity for downtowns. This is a great use for vacant buildings but it can be a challenge to put together the financing and code compliance. We can help guide you through the funding options and incentives to make such a great project possible..
Request for Proposals
What is a request for proposal (rfp) and how do you create one? Sometime or another, you have probably encountered this term and wondered how to craft and advertise an rfp, a document used to secure the services of a professional consultant or product. Our office will work with you to put together an effective request for proposal. Learn how to craft a document for seeking services such as master plan development, streetscape design and engineering, arborist services, landscaping services, or parking studies and plans.
Management Services for Vacant Positions
It is essential to maintain compliance with all local, state and national requirements during times of transition. Georgia Downtowns is pleased to provide temporary management services, resources, and skills to cities of all sizes. “Great American Main Street” award-winning manager, Joel Cordle, can help your organization through a period of transition, crisis, or change. Cordle is an expert in the field and can assist until a permanent manager is found. He can also assist with job descriptions and advertising to help fill vacant positions.
Basic Administrative Operations Training
Does your organization need assistance with fulfilling the requirements to operate a Main Street program, downtown development authority, or a nonprofit (501c3) agency? We can get you on to the right track for compliance, using the best practices for meeting federal, state, and local requirements. Georgia Downtowns will lead you through the processes for preparing and submitting the annual Secretary of State corporate registration, IRS tax filings, downtown development authority annual registration, and reports to city council. Joel Cordle can assist with organizing and conducting annual meetings and officer elections.
Sustainable Main Street Program Partnership Plan
Your downtown revitalization program’s success depends on building and sustaining productive relationships. We can help you build more effective partnerships at the local, regional, state, and national levels and build your network for long term success and sustainability.
Marketing and Advertising Campaigns
It's important to promote downtown as an exciting destination for shopping, dining, and services. We can help you strategically target your messages to powerful customer bases, hit media targets, gain partners, and achieve success with social media. We can also provide you with valuable tips for maximizing your use of traditional news media in marketing and advertising.
Special Events
Music, markets, arts, and excitement - smart, strategic special events help to make downtown a destination. We can help you learn to combine creativity, best resources, frugal budgets, and fun into success. We can provide models for events production, budgets, sponsorships, vendors, and more.
After-Hours Business Campaigns
We'll show you how to work with your business owners and use after-hours events to bring new customers and groups into stores. Use our successful models and give owners opportunities to show their inventories and build their sales.
Historic Preservation Education Events and Programs
Historic preservation is the foundation of success for revitalizing downtowns. Promoting preservation education is essential – and is required for Main Street certification. Georgia Downtowns has successful program samples to share to help build support and excitement for preservation of your historic central business district.
Downtown Investments and Achievements Campaign
Every year, there are downtown property and business owners who make significant investments into their downtown properties. Those repairs, restorations, and new construction help make your downtown a more attractive and thriving business center. Georgia Downtowns has a successful program that you can adopt as an annual celebration of those local investments and help you build better relationships with owners.
Taking care of your architectural and environmental assets is a top priority for downtown economic success. We can help you with proven strategies and services to care for and expand these essential design features.
Downtown Assessment and Action Plan
First impressions are key. It is important to look good, day and night. Georgia Downtowns will measure and recommend how to improve your downtown curb appeal in public areas. We will review and provide action steps for addressing downtown design and economic activity issues. Build partnerships at the same time.
Historic Preservation Policies
How will we take care of our treasures? A meaningful statement of philosophy is a useful tool to express and guide a downtown’s historic preservation efforts. We will work with you to craft a meaningful policy statement on historic preservation to help guide the work of your board, staff, and community partner agencies.
Façade Grant Program Implementation Plan
Small financial incentives can catalyze big investments by property owners and result in nicely restored and repaired commercial buildings. We can provide you with model documents for grant guidelines, application forms, and project close out documents. This program will help you leverage significant investments and beautiful buildings in your downtown.
Tree City Plan
Healthy and strategically placed downtown trees are essential for shopper comfort, as they provide shade during the summer, color in the fall, sculptures in the winter, and a fresh palette in the spring. We will help you protect and expand your downtown tree inventory, find grants, cultivate volunteers, improve curb appeal, build community support, and grow businesses.
Walk and Talk Program
We will work with your office and community partners to set up a "walk and talk" program, organizing and holding an on-site inspection and discussions that focus on the marketing of downtown. This program will engage all stakeholders during a two-hour inspection of the downtown area, followed by discussion of the findings – both positives and negatives- identifying those areas that need attention or those that represent the best of downtown. We will use gathered data and identified priority issues to create a tailored action plan.
Signature Design Asset Inventory and Promotion
We will survey your architectural and geographic icons, inventorying each one. We will present effective strategies to maximize their economic development potential.
Design Decision Guidelines
How can you help property owners to do the right thing? We will provide you with essential resources to help you and property owners make good decisions and do proper restorations and repairs of your downtown buildings.
Constituent Partnership Campaign
Get to know your most important constituents – your downtown business owners. We have a powerful survey and strategy that can open constructive conversation and start lasting relationships. This is an essential early step for new managers and an effective activity for any manager – an activity from which all managers and directors will benefit.
Higher Education Partnership Plan
Do you already have a college, university, or technical college in your downtown? If not, why not? Higher education institutions can bring your businesses a new injection of customers: students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, families of students. These great customers need to shop, need professional services, need dining and lodging opportunities. We can help you build partnerships with higher education administrators to build facilities in your downtown or to lease existing downtown buildings. Learn how to finance the project and how your financing profits can be used to help your program and revitalize your downtown.
According to the National and Georgia Main Street programs, public input is critical to the strategic planning process for downtown economic development and the new Main Street approach. We can assist you with this important work by planning and facilitating town hall meetings, collecting survey data, holding focus groups, or through the employment of a combination of all three approaches.
Downtown Strategic Work Plan
It's important to plan the work and work the plan. Creating a dynamic and measurable work plan for your downtown is an essential path to prosperity. A solid strategic work plan will identify issues, set priorities, lead to community buy-in, build partnerships, foster commitment, and ensure follow through. Georgia Downtowns will partner with your staff and community to deliver a work plan specifically meeting your needs and vision.
Main Street Launch
Start your Main Street program now. Georgia Downtowns will work with you to set up "shop" and build a model that best fits your downtown. We will put together all of the required essentials, including mission and vision statements, by-laws, budget, annual work plan, and service agreements for the City Council – Main Street relationship. Additionally, we can review or craft your job descriptions and build tools for evaluations, board members' oath of office, confidentiality and conflict of interest statements, and board service agreements.
Great American Main Street Award
Go for it! This award application has specific requirements and guidelines that must be met to be competitive. Using our own experience, we will advise on the application process for the Great American Main Street Award. Georgia Downtowns will conduct a comparative inventory of your program and your economic impact statistics and assist you with the identification of priority issues leading up to your award application. Learn how to effectively tell your story, quantify your case, and be more competitive while seeking this prestigious national award.
Funding Presentations
Do you need grant funds, sponsorship dollars, and resources for your program and projects? Let us help you create a powerful package of visuals and narrative to make you more competitive and successful when you are in search of dollars.
Property Inventories
A strong downtown program depends on a thorough inventory of properties. The program manager needs these details in order to help market vacancies and communicate with new and expanding business owners and property owners, too. Learn how to build and maintain your inventory, show potential business owners wha'ts available, and to track property sales and leases.
Downtown Business Recruitment Event
Do you have vacant buildings that you need to fill? We have an exciting event to market vacant spaces for business and residential uses. The event will bring in potential customers and match them with property owners and business support agencies. Let us help you build excitement and opportunity for filling those vacant spaces.
Preservation Projects Funding
Finding funds for construction and restoration of historic buildings can be a big challenge. We can lead you to a variety of funding sources for project financing and work with you to bring these to the table for your prospects and property owners.
Downtown Boutique Hotels Action Plan
Downtown lodging is a hot trend and is a great amenity for downtowns. This is a great use for vacant buildings but it can be a challenge to put together the financing and code compliance. We can help guide you through the funding options and incentives to make such a great project possible..
Request for Proposals
What is a request for proposal (rfp) and how do you create one? Sometime or another, you have probably encountered this term and wondered how to craft and advertise an rfp, a document used to secure the services of a professional consultant or product. Our office will work with you to put together an effective request for proposal. Learn how to craft a document for seeking services such as master plan development, streetscape design and engineering, arborist services, landscaping services, or parking studies and plans.
Management Services for Vacant Positions
It is essential to maintain compliance with all local, state and national requirements during times of transition. Georgia Downtowns is pleased to provide temporary management services, resources, and skills to cities of all sizes. “Great American Main Street” award-winning manager, Joel Cordle, can help your organization through a period of transition, crisis, or change. Cordle is an expert in the field and can assist until a permanent manager is found. He can also assist with job descriptions and advertising to help fill vacant positions.
Basic Administrative Operations Training
Does your organization need assistance with fulfilling the requirements to operate a Main Street program, downtown development authority, or a nonprofit (501c3) agency? We can get you on to the right track for compliance, using the best practices for meeting federal, state, and local requirements. Georgia Downtowns will lead you through the processes for preparing and submitting the annual Secretary of State corporate registration, IRS tax filings, downtown development authority annual registration, and reports to city council. Joel Cordle can assist with organizing and conducting annual meetings and officer elections.
Sustainable Main Street Program Partnership Plan
Your downtown revitalization program’s success depends on building and sustaining productive relationships. We can help you build more effective partnerships at the local, regional, state, and national levels and build your network for long term success and sustainability.
Marketing and Advertising Campaigns
It's important to promote downtown as an exciting destination for shopping, dining, and services. We can help you strategically target your messages to powerful customer bases, hit media targets, gain partners, and achieve success with social media. We can also provide you with valuable tips for maximizing your use of traditional news media in marketing and advertising.
Special Events
Music, markets, arts, and excitement - smart, strategic special events help to make downtown a destination. We can help you learn to combine creativity, best resources, frugal budgets, and fun into success. We can provide models for events production, budgets, sponsorships, vendors, and more.
After-Hours Business Campaigns
We'll show you how to work with your business owners and use after-hours events to bring new customers and groups into stores. Use our successful models and give owners opportunities to show their inventories and build their sales.
Historic Preservation Education Events and Programs
Historic preservation is the foundation of success for revitalizing downtowns. Promoting preservation education is essential – and is required for Main Street certification. Georgia Downtowns has successful program samples to share to help build support and excitement for preservation of your historic central business district.
Downtown Investments and Achievements Campaign
Every year, there are downtown property and business owners who make significant investments into their downtown properties. Those repairs, restorations, and new construction help make your downtown a more attractive and thriving business center. Georgia Downtowns has a successful program that you can adopt as an annual celebration of those local investments and help you build better relationships with owners.
Taking care of your architectural and environmental assets is a top priority for downtown economic success. We can help you with proven strategies and services to care for and expand these essential design features.
Downtown Assessment and Action Plan
First impressions are key. It is important to look good, day and night. Georgia Downtowns will measure and recommend how to improve your downtown curb appeal in public areas. We will review and provide action steps for addressing downtown design and economic activity issues. Build partnerships at the same time.
Historic Preservation Policies
How will we take care of our treasures? A meaningful statement of philosophy is a useful tool to express and guide a downtown’s historic preservation efforts. We will work with you to craft a meaningful policy statement on historic preservation to help guide the work of your board, staff, and community partner agencies.
Façade Grant Program Implementation Plan
Small financial incentives can catalyze big investments by property owners and result in nicely restored and repaired commercial buildings. We can provide you with model documents for grant guidelines, application forms, and project close out documents. This program will help you leverage significant investments and beautiful buildings in your downtown.
Tree City Plan
Healthy and strategically placed downtown trees are essential for shopper comfort, as they provide shade during the summer, color in the fall, sculptures in the winter, and a fresh palette in the spring. We will help you protect and expand your downtown tree inventory, find grants, cultivate volunteers, improve curb appeal, build community support, and grow businesses.
Walk and Talk Program
We will work with your office and community partners to set up a "walk and talk" program, organizing and holding an on-site inspection and discussions that focus on the marketing of downtown. This program will engage all stakeholders during a two-hour inspection of the downtown area, followed by discussion of the findings – both positives and negatives- identifying those areas that need attention or those that represent the best of downtown. We will use gathered data and identified priority issues to create a tailored action plan.
Signature Design Asset Inventory and Promotion
We will survey your architectural and geographic icons, inventorying each one. We will present effective strategies to maximize their economic development potential.
Design Decision Guidelines
How can you help property owners to do the right thing? We will provide you with essential resources to help you and property owners make good decisions and do proper restorations and repairs of your downtown buildings.
Constituent Partnership Campaign
Get to know your most important constituents – your downtown business owners. We have a powerful survey and strategy that can open constructive conversation and start lasting relationships. This is an essential early step for new managers and an effective activity for any manager – an activity from which all managers and directors will benefit.
Higher Education Partnership Plan
Do you already have a college, university, or technical college in your downtown? If not, why not? Higher education institutions can bring your businesses a new injection of customers: students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, families of students. These great customers need to shop, need professional services, need dining and lodging opportunities. We can help you build partnerships with higher education administrators to build facilities in your downtown or to lease existing downtown buildings. Learn how to finance the project and how your financing profits can be used to help your program and revitalize your downtown.