Considering Change in Downtown Geneva

This electronic package is as a primer for the Strategic Planning Retreat I have been asked to help organize for the Geneva Business Improvement District Board. The package includes some new data to more fully understand what the BID represents, some background material, and key questions to inform the planning session when it occurs. The heart of this document, however, is the results of a survey written and conducted by Catalyst FLX, my consulting group. The survey was developed after extensive interviewing of a sample of downtown leaders, board members and business tenants within the BID footprint. Prof. Jack Harris, a principal of Catalyst FLX, wrote the anonymous survey.

The survey attracted 80 responses, a more than 50 percent engagement rate, and healthy representation of downtown’s various business and property owners.

The survey participation and the results revealed some good news for downtown. There is an active, engaged and passionate population of both business owners and operators. There is a strong pulse and a sense that community focus and energy abounds in its newly redesigned streets. There are many opinions and ideas circulating about downtown’s present and future.

The survey also revealed some important issues suggesting the BID has some work to do in delivering value and communicating impacts to its membership and the community at large.

This pre-meeting package is meant to raise as many questions and issues for consideration as possible as the board examines its operations, its role in the community and future activities.

We ask that you please take the time to read this document and get familiar with the survey results in advance of the Strategic Planning Retreat. Four hours is not a long time to discuss as many of the topics the board has asked to consider. Doing this homework will allow us to get more quickly to the heart of matters.

Thanks for this opportunity to help. From the coming session and the preliminary work already conducted with your new executive director, I continue to believe Geneva will benefit greatly from your efforts.

Yours,

Chris Lavin Catalyst FLX

Contents

Considering Change in Downtown Geneva ..................................................................................................2 BID Board Retreat Agenda............................................................................................................................5 Survey for Action............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Other BIDs...................................................................................................................................................36

Ithaca BID: A Case Study .............................................................................................................................39 Downtown Ithaca Alliance Budget 2022.....................................................................................................41 Property Inventory......................................................................................................................................48 Crying Out for Investment ..........................................................................................................................53 More Reading..............................................................................................................................................55