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pTodd Cutts
A Champion for Business Success and a Thriving Downtown Olympia TODD CUTTS
Todd Cutts, Executive Director, Olympia Downtown Alliance, in front of "Tiger", one of downtown Olympia's many murals. "Tiger" is located at 109 Capitol Way N.
by Heidi Smith | Photos by Poppi Photography
For Todd Cutts, downtowns are more than just a collection of buildings and businesses. He sees them as living things, organisms that need to be cared for in order to stay healthy. It’s an attitude that informs every aspect of his work as Executive Director of the Olympia Downtown Alliance, a role he assumed in March 2017.
When he first met the organization’s former director over coffee, Cutts went home and told his wife that he’d identified his dream job. As a former city manager and economic development director with an extensive background in working with downtowns, he saw Olympia’s potential.
“You can tick off all the boxes,” he says. “It has everything you need for a thriving, vibrant downtown community: amazing small and locally owned businesses, historic architecture, walkable streets, public assets with parks and open spaces, and waterfront.” they’d like to see, even if that meant that we would be taking things on organizationally that we haven’t in the past,” he explains.
Since taking the helm, Cutts has made a point of actively listening to downtown business owners and creating strategic priorities based on what he hears. Within the first year, he did 75 stakeholder interviews and held five focus groups with different industry sectors. “We wanted to know what At the ensuing board retreat, Alliance board members developed a vision, mission, core values and strategic priorities, using business owners’ feedback as a guideline. The priorities that emerged were Advocacy, Clean and Safe, Imagemaking, Business Assistance and Financial Health.
Todd Cutts, Executive Director, Olympia Downtown Alliance.
The Clean and Safe priority is focused on supporting a welcoming environment to ensure business success and a thriving downtown while ‘imagemaking’ involves improving the community’s perception of downtown while making them aware of all it offers.
One example of the Clean and Safe priority in action is improved lighting. Several times a year, committee members will tour downtown at night looking for areas that are not welllit and might cause someone to feel unsafe. Through a grant program with the city, they install new lights in places like the Capitol Theater Building, home to Rumors Wine Bar and the Painted Plate, where lights are now wrapped around the area underneath the building’s awning.
To implement each priority, Cutts works with committees that provide strategic guidance. “We come up with a whole laundry list of cool stuff,” he says. “Then we prioritize that. We allow only so many high priorities, and we drive toward those throughout the year.” The various teams meet monthly to assess their direction and modify strategy when appropriate.
They also follow guidelines from Main Street America, a nationwide organization focused on preservationbased economic development and community revitalization. “They provide a framework for urban revitalization,” says Cutts. “These are tried and true methods.”
Business owners have recognized the Downtown Alliance’s efforts and are seeing results. “I appreciate the fact that the Alliance is now engaging in service levels related to issues that are a concern to downtown customers and that are impacting their bottom lines,” says Dean Jones, owner of downtown business Encore Chocolates & Teas. “I also believe these efforts are bringing our community downtown in greater numbers than we saw a couple of years ago.” In 2020, the ODA’s efforts may get a substantial boost through the creation of a Downtown Improvement District (DID). Property owners within a designated area would pay a self-initiated assessment to fund improvements. The formation of a DID requires a petition process, with support from property owners representing 60 percent of the total assessment required. The total budget would be $600,000 dedicated, at least initially, primarily towards downtown beautification and hospitality, with programs and services also to assist small businesses.
“These are best practices across the nation,” says Cutts. “How they fund their revitalization efforts is largely through DIDs. Right now, I’m proud of what we’re doing with the resources that we have but I also believe the difference that sort of resource would make would be significant.” Over a period of months, a Steering Committee made up of downtown property owners have been soliciting support from property owners. If the petition drive is successful, the City Council would be asked to implement the district. (Continued on page 17)
Some of the projects the DID would make possible on a larger scale include things the Alliance is already doing, including the ambassadorstyle Downtown Guide program, and coordination of a sidewalk pressurewashing service.
In addition, the Alliance could add programming to support a welcoming environment, including detailed cleaning, snow and leaf removal, enhanced landscaping, and flower baskets.
In promoting the DID, Cutts is attempting to fulfill the wishes of business owners he’s been listening to for nearly three years. “Everyone wants downtown Olympia to stay funky, independent and locally owned,” he says. “We want our community to come here with their family and friends, go shopping, visit the movie theater and get an ice cream cone afterward. What we have to sell down here is that vibrant, eclectic experience.”
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