Goals & Objectives:

(as of May 12, 2003)

1. Attract business to downtown Anderson.
   1. Create, encourage and maintain a healthy and vibrant retail, business and commercial mix of businesses downtown
   2. Maintain existing business downtown by increasing awareness of existing businesses.
   3. Post signage on I-69 to advertise new and existing businesses downtown .
   4. Develop Downtown Business Guide and distribute to increase awareness of new and existing businesses downtown.
   5. Identify and provide additional security downtown.
2. Complete a physical inventory of downtown buildings, infrastructure and parking areas in order to identify, preserve and enhance the overall physical appearance of downtown as well as remove any unsightly elements.
   1. Complete a downtown building inventory including: address of unit/building, name of business/building, photo of structure, previous tenants, legal description, key number, age of property, size of lot, square footage of building, owner, owner’s address and phone, tenant, and tenant’s phone.
   2. Identify, improve, enhance (or replace) existing infrastructure including streets, sidewalks, curbs, signs, benches, telecommunications, visual clutter, etc.
   3. Identify parking and improve transportation
      1. Complete parking study and review overall transportation system downtown, including identification of ownership and number of parking spaces on streets, lots and garage, as well as times and days of the week people require parking
      2. Create new and enhance existing parking spaces.
      3. Provide shuttles from south Anderson hotels to downtown.
      4. Provide inner-city shuttle to transport people from outer downtown parking lots to their destinations.
   4. Renovate, restore, and construct buildings downtown.
3. Create activity downtown by maintaining, improving and promoting a healthy, vibrant mixed-atmosphere that is known as a desirable place that brings commercial/business, residential, and entertainment uses together.
   1. Target young professionals, students and seniors to live in the downtown area.
   2. Promote the Anderson Town Center, Citizens Plaza Park, the Meridian Street Corridor and the overall downtown as a festive destination to hold celebrations and entertainment including: multi-cultural events, farmer’s markets, fine arts festivals, July 4th celebrations, holiday parades, and Christmas light shows, etc, as well as encouraging street vendors, musicians and artists to enhance the atmosphere on a day to day basis.
   3. Coordinate activities (outdoor festivals, celebrations, etc.) that occur throughout the downtown including the activities in the Anderson Town Center, along Meridian Street and other outdoor activities with downtown merchants and entertainment establishments in order to compliment our activities and not compete with one another.
   4. Attract visitors to the downtown.
      1. Increase awareness of Anderson’s downtown cultural and artistic heritage, celebrate and expand cultural expression, and encourage cultural and artistic establishments downtown to develop and grow.
      2. Market festivals, entertainment, natural amenities, artistic establishments, restaurants.
      3. Develop a Downtown Business Guide to advertise the various new and existing downtown businesses, restaurants and services available.
         
   5. Attract investors downtown.
      1. Market tax incentive programs, Revolving Loan funds, demographic information, expedite process in working with the City Departments for building, zoning, etc. applications and permits, accentuate over $20 million of recently extensive building and infrastructure improvements and explain the future renovations plan for our downtown.
4. Market downtown businesses and restaurants, special events, entertainment establishments, etc.
   1. Provide communication regarding overall constructions of projects downtown through email, quarterly meetings, distribution of brochures and flyers, etc.
   2. Advertise Anderson Town Center, Citizens Plaza, and the Meridian Street Corridor as a sought after destinations to hold festivals, special events, etc.
   3. Advertise activities, celebrations, festivals and special events downtown through television, radio, newspaper, email, flyers, and word of mouth.
   4. Utilize multi-lingual signage throughout the downtown to support our multi-lingual guests and visitors. (Stop, Yield, Parking, etc.)
   5. Market the downtown businesses, special events, entertainment establishments, etc. from I-69 corridor, Scatterfield Road, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and other major thoroughfares.