[OMS_MANAGERS] OMS Daily Round-up (this one is short)

[STUART Sheri * OPRD]

  1.  Here's a video from Tillamook Chamber of Commerce - super sweet to show how you can still support businesses. Side Note: TCC is our pilot community of housing the main street effort under a chamber umbrella. As one of our designated Transforming Downtown level communities, they have started using the "A Main Street Community" tagline on applicable programs. https://www.facebook.com/TillamookChamberOfCommerce/videos/278194216541432/


  1.  Streetsense hospitality experts have pulled together a resource guide to help hotel operators position themselves for a safe, profitable reopening. Click Here<https://mailchi.mp/470b3aedaa9d/download-our-hotel-survival-guide?e=1c540b6587> to download the guide.



  1.  Reflections on a webinar I listened to this morning, "Saving Main Street Today. Reimaging it Tomorrow." It started with a little history lesson on the many impacts our historic downtowns faced starting in the late 1950's, early 60's including the increasing suburbanization of America. In the 1950's 60% of the population lived in the city and 40% in suburbs. By the 1990's that had switched. It was out of some of these demographic changes, among other factors that you all have heard me preach about that led to the development of the main street movement. It was a reminder - Main Street is made for tough times.



And, there are economic reasons that our downtowns and main street programs are important. In the webinar, they mentioned:

  *   6% of our GDP and 12% of jobs are in the retail and restaurant sectors nationwide. For every $1 million dollars spent in a restaurant, it is a catalyst for 34 other sector jobs. So, the potential impact on jobs is huge.
  *   Not only that, 40% of the commercial real estate portfolio is downtown. Defaults on leases could lead to defaults on commercial mortgages w/potentially severe impacts, not to mention potential impacts on property taxes.
  *   One additional reason downtowns are important is the sense of place downtowns provide and the now well understood connection between place and economic development. In an Endeavor Global Survey, they contacted the CEOs of 5,000 top start-ups and asked them why they located where they did. They found the vibrancy of a city and access to retail, restaurant and outdoor amenities was a determining factor. Not only that, those same things are the things that attract skilled talent.

They suggested that we need to look at doing things differently rather than just reopening and provided a useful way to think about next steps:

  *   Response - this is where we are right now in terms of connective w/financial aid, and assisting w/ remodeling and reinventing local businesses.
  *   Reboot - embrace what learned during closure and incorporate as part of the business model (e.g., new technology, contactless pick-up and delivery). For organizations, this could mean developing technology platforms for district wide exposure, co-op buying power for cleaning supplies and PPE, reintroducing city to locals (recent Skift Research survey indicated 4 in 10 people plan to travel w/n 100 miles), and connecting businesses with assistance to help with redesign of their spaces, new revenue modules for operating at a lower level, and new technology. The idea is to use what we have learned and help business develop models to scale their business to weather storms now and in the future. The other area is to look at placemaking in public spaces and creating temporary green spaces and parklets.
  *   Reimagine - this is looking at building resiliency through increased cooperation among all community organizations, diversification of downtown, embracing new models and policies, more scaling of business practices, protecting essential workers, and expanding public spaces.




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