State of District
2020 RESILIENCY
It has been a year of resiliency, meeting challenges, and pivoting — things our downtown business owners and property owners have again proven they are good at. The Cool Spring Downtown District, working with the City, assisted the downtown community with designated curbside pick-up parking spaces and expanded outdoor dining space. Under the notable leadership of Bianca Shoneman and our gifted staff, we distributed Downtown Dollars and created an enhanced electronic Downtown Gift Card program, increasing dollars spent with our downtown businesses when a financial boost was very much needed. In partnership with the Downtown
MISSION Advancing arts and entertainment in downtown Fayetteville with economic opportunity for all. The Cool Spring Downtown District serves as the administrator of both the Arts and Entertainment District and the Municipal Service District. We have a five-prong approach to downtown management that includes: Economic Vitality Marketing & Promotions Design & Placemaking Programs & Events Community
Alliance, on-street paid parking was delayed. Bringing a globe-trotting public art exhibit, Prismatica, to our city’s Arts and Entertainment District significantly increased foot traffic during the start of the holiday shopping season. And working with the Arts Council on a modified Dickens Holiday event reduced the impact of increased online shopping and reminded people to Shop Local. While celebrating our resilience and welcoming new businesses and investment, we are acutely aware of the businesses we lost and the ongoing efforts needed as we lead downtown during this pivotal recovery phase. Some of that comes through our new Coldwell Banker “Can Do” trolley, a
summer night market, a downtown concierge program, and planned future art and entertainment activations. Spring has brought a hopeful outlook to a gradual return of being together and safely enjoying being downtown. We look to you, as some of downtown’s biggest fans and supporters, to assist us by locally shopping, eating and drinking, supporting our art community, having fun, and buying gift cards. All of these things help ensure that our downtown will continue to be our favorite place to be. See you downtown —
Molly Arnold, Chair
LEADERSHIP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MOLLY ARNOLD Rude Awakening, White Trash Chair ROBERT HINES Retiree Vice chair DAVID BLACKMAN Hay Street United Methodist Church Ex-officio, past Chair TROY RASSMUSSEN Gaston Brewing Company At-large JORDAN JONES Prince Charles Holdings Secretary RHONDA HASKINS PWC Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS ISABELLA EFFON Volta Space and Taste of West Africa
DENISE STROTHER ERA Real Estate
AMY SAMPERTON Resident and Arts Council appointee
THEODORE W. MOHN Former Mayor Pro Tem, City of Fayetteville
SHAKEYLA INGRAM Councilwoman, City of Fayetteville
ROBERT M. VAN GEONS, CECD Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation
DWIGHT SMITH Ellington-White Contemporary Art Gallery
JERRY MACDONALD Yellow Crayons
CHRIS CAULEY Economic and Community Development, City of Fayetteville
MICHAEL PENNINK Pennink Properties
C. JOHN MALZONE Malzone Real Estate, Arts Council Appointee
JACQUELINE SMITH Allison Capital Partners
EBONY MCNEILL Park Fayetteville
PETE SUBSARA Fayetteville Woodpeckers
JOSH CHOI Winterbloom Tea
ANNA HODGES-SMITH Hodges Marketing
MEGHAN ENGLE Cape Fear Hospital At-large
STAFF BIANCA SHONEMAN President and CEO
ASHANTI BENNETT Special Projects
LAUREN FALLS Events and Branding Director
JENNY BELL Marketing Manager
CE N T DA U ENEN 00 EV TT 1 U 2, A 0 7 • 0 3 s 1 nt , U 20eve 8 • 21 0 0 s 4 t 1 en ,1 U 209 ev 9 • 32 0 0 s 2 t 1 en ,0 201 ev 0 • 28 4 2 ents 0 2 4 ev 3
750%
increase in the number of events 2017-2020 EVENTS & PLACEMAKING Cool Spring Downtown District serves as the Managing Partner for the City’s Arts and Entertainment District. One of our contractual goals is to Enhance the District as a vibrant center of artistic, cultural, civic and commercial activity. Over the last five years, Cool Spring Downtown District has engaged in a variety of placemaking initiatives.
Painted Crosswalks: demarked the physical boundaries of the district by artfully painting border street crosswalks Projecting the organizational and event logos on the iconic Self-Help building Wall clings highlighting available parking in fun ways Avenue of Quotes Art Alley featuring Richard Wilson as inaugural artist
Prismatica, designed by CREOS and ATOMIC-3 InnerWoven, created by Kia Love The Unity Bell, created by John Shoneman The Monolith, by Blashfield Signs Black Lives Do Matter. End Racism Now, Malcolm Chester and Collyn Strother Invested in new holiday decor, including a City Holiday Tree
2020 was, by far, the most devastatingly impactful year in the history of the Cool Spring Downtown District. The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) ushered in unimaginable challenges for Downtown Fayetteville businesses, employers, employees, property owners, and visitors. The downtown economy, like the rest of the world, has suffered shocking hits to most sectors that will likely make recovery hard and long.
shopping experience and offered curbside pickup; museums and entertainment venues have offered virtual programming and office workers have continued working from home. These unforeseen circumstances could have been enough to bring any organization or economy to a halt, and yet, The Cool Spring Downtown District rose to the occasion in 2020, pivoting priorities and providing new and different levels of service.
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 necessitated a Public Health Emergency — effectively closing all businesses, except those few deemed “essential”. Since that time, restaurants have learned to survive by relying on takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining; retailers have enhanced their online
Reasons for optimism are clear, including the fact that COVID-19 vaccine efforts are in full force. Though the challenges presented in 2020 were extreme and unprecedented, causes for celebration and glimmers of optimism shone throughout the downtown community.
FOSTERED ECONOMIC IMPACT AND RECOVERY SUPPORTED DISTRICT BUSINESSES IN NEW WAYS Launched #DowntownFayStrong, both a website and media campaign to show support to our businesses, residents, and property owners during the early days of the pandemic Website: http://downtownfaystrong.com/ (219 Group donated website design and hosting) Monitored and publicized openings/closures and tracked delivery, curbside, and online ordering options Managed and publicized business resources Created downloadable graphics for the public to use Went on a “social diet” and only promoted supporting local online/delivery resources + COVID-19 resources Printed and delivered signs designating “curbside delivery” Radio Ads: Deployed ads across a variety of stations Advertised #DowntownFayStrong in print sources Stakeholder ZOOM calls, serving as temperature checks. Everyone--from senators, local elected officials, property owners, business leaders, and residents--were invited to attend.
EMBRACED DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Downtown Fayetteville was severely impacted by the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd. In partnership with other several organizations and volunteers, the Cool Spring Downtown District helped ground-floor businesses clean up damage from the unrest, helped building
Tracked Economic Impact with a reoccurring survey to business community — Partners included EDC, City, County, Chamber, CEED, CSDD, FTCC, PWC. Over 200+ responses received. Successfully advocated for “curbside delivery” Successfully modified Outdoor Dining and Merchandising Policy to allow expanded commercial operations Alongside the Downtown Alliance, successfully delayed Paid Parking’s deployment through FY21 Distributed thousands of PPE items to businesses, enhancing safety of commercial environments with masks, floor decals, hand sanitizer, etc. Created and launched an electronic downtown gift card with 30+ participating businesses. Enhanced the Downtown Gift Card: cash enhancements generated a two-for-one impact — for every dollar spent on a gift card, two dollars went into the community Downtown Dollars: a virtual and street-level campaign designed to give “dollars” out to downtown supporters. $2,000 distributed. Brought a globe-trotting public art exhibit, Prismatica, to the district, increasing foot traffic by 30%
owners board up and then remove boards from storefronts, and sponsored mural projects by donating supplies to artists to paint on the plywood placed on boarded-up storefronts. These works were from a diverse crew. At the request of City Council, the Cool Spring Downtown District also organized artists and volunteers to paint “Black Lives Do Matter” and “End Racism” in the no-drive zone around the Market House. This effort was done to show support of the struggle for racial justice and equality.
TOTAL ASSESSED VALUE OF TAXABLE PARCELS
2016
$121,221,923
2019
$136,144,812
12.3%
Between 2016 -2019, the total assessed property values grew 12.3% in the Municipal Service District.
SOURCE: FCEDC’S ESRI BUSINESS ANALYST
2020GROWTH
Investments 700,000 GSF
Public and Private Improvements
$125 million
Completed or underway
54,000 GSF Residential 52,000 GSF Commercial
Delivered
$1,508,000
NEW BUSINESSES IN 2020 SERVICE Hair by Maral Latch Breast Feeding Center Coldwell Banker His and Her Spa Bar Keji Service Inc Quack Quack Mobile Phone Repair
ARTIST STUDIO Styled to Bits (Franklin Street) Johnny Awesome Tattoo
RESTAURANT Caruso's Archway Burgers The Downtown Deli
RETAIL Donum African Store Southern Alternative (Pop-Up Shop) Years Gone By Antiques Lion’s Ship Antiques, Jewelry & Emporium
Self-reported improvements
$1,380,000 in interior improvements and over $128,000 in exterior improvements, a total of over $1,508,000.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR Knack
EXPANSIONS
These investments represent adaptive reuse projects completed by tenants and property owners.
PRIVATE CLUB
Winterbloom Tea
SERVICE
Between 2017-2020 the district has seen a significant increase in investment and commitment of investment. Examples include a net gain of 45 new businesses, over 54,000 GSF of new residential space, and the opening of Segra Stadium.
Photo by RaulRubiera.com
Floating Shanti = Fayetteville Wellness Center
IMPROVEMENTS DURING COVID-19 Rude Awakening Coffee House New counter Circa 1800 New flooring, fixtures, paint, new counter-top, new kitchen Pierro’s Italian Bistro New flooring, fixtures, paint Cornerstone Hummingbird Candle Company Changed name, improves layout, updates focus Gaston Brewing Company New front of house, new facade
THANK YOU TO OUR INVESTORS
CONTRIBUTORS TO THE MUNICIPAL SERVICE DISTRICT A PRIVATE DONOR THIS REPORT WAS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CIT YVIEW MAGAZINE