CID vital for future of city, downtown

David Knight has accepted a position with Marriott Resorts Development Group in Orlando, Fla. This is Knight's last contribution after a year as a regular columnist in these pages. His last day with Butler, Rosenbury & Partners was July 16. Prior to his position in the private sector, David worked as economic development director for the city of Springfield. He will be leaving Springfield July 26. A farewell party will be held at 5 p.m. July 20 at the Springfield Brewing Company.

Just do it!

City Council will July 19 consider approval of a Community Improvement District for downtown.

More than 1,200 CIDs exist in cities throughout the United States to enhance maintenance, manage parking and improve the image of their downtowns. A Community Improvement District is a way to directly invest in the downtown that will reap huge dividends for years to come.

Downtown property and business owners will see a return on their investment in terms of increased property values, renewed private investment and additional redevelopment activities in the near future. To improve anything one must make the effort to invest time, energy and resources.

The CID is an important implementation tool of the Vision 20/20 Center City Plan Element adopted by Springfield's City Council. The plan sets out a specific action plan for redeveloping downtown Springfield. Improving the maintenance, parking management and enhancing the image of downtown is a specific strategy that should result in a cleaner, safer and friendlier downtown.

The process for planning the CID started in 1996. Workshops were held to understand the priorities of downtown stakeholders. They were asked to prioritize their needs for enhanced services based on those services they were willing to pay to see enhanced. Maintenance, parking management and image enhancement were the top priorities.

The CID is a way to fund enhanced services much like that of a homeowners association or common area maintenance charge to tenants in a shopping center. The services are provided by private contract that provides accountability for ensuring the services will be delivered and done well.

The CID is another tool in the redevelopment tool box. It is just as important as the other implementation strategies in the Center City Plan. It is just as important as the small-business financing tools, storefront and streetscape improvements, civic park planning activities and conversion of one-way to two-way streets. The beauty is that it is based on a plan. Just as a successful business follows a plan so must a successful downtown. A successful city plans for its future and then acts on those plans. We have an opportunity to act on the plans for our city and downtown.

Parting Thought

It has been an honor to write for the Springfield Business Journal. The Business Journal is a tremendous asset for our community. It is a great outlet for discussing business activities and sharing information that affects our daily lives. This will be my last article as I am moving my family to Orlando, Fla., for a new employment opportunity. I truly enjoyed working for the city of Springfield and Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. I thank all of you who have made our stay in Springfield an enjoyable and special time.

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