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X, Thank you! Annamarie

327, Great point! Do you have ideas on how to reach that network of people through marketing or social networking venues. Thank you for your input. Annamarie

PresOhio, Thank you for your input. Marketing has been extremely underfunded by the City, Downtown Development Organizations, and by my company. I have tried to coordinate dollars to implement a downtown marketing plan with some small success. I stress the word small because I have been unsuccessful in selling the plan for the long term. I would love to hear your suggestions! Annamarie

x, Great input! Thank you for the link. We have demographic information but it is from the late 90's. 2007 information will be a great help. Have a great evening!

Rockandroller, The company I work for owns approximately 30 buildings in downtown Mansfield. Most of these buildings are in The Carrousel District. Engwiller Properties was founded to create and renovate the Carrousel District. It is owned by a family that has a history in the area, was ashamed of the decline, and wanted to give back to the community. There is a huge philanthropic element to the project; however, for sustainability it needs to be viable for the long term. I stress long term, because as long as the company is rebuilding the historic structures there is continued financial investment and no return.

Rockandroller, Students at the OSU branch now have the ability to complete their 4 year degree at the campus. This has created an influx of students from all over Ohio that want an OSU degree but would like a smaller campus atmosphere. The OSU campus now has on site housing. I don’t know how many units. We talked to them about a housing partnership; however, there were transportation issues. Public transportation is not very accessible in Mansfield. (It exists…but doesn’t really meet the needs of the community) Thank you again for your input!

jpop, Last year I attended the "I Love Downtown" tour in Cleveland. The variety of living space available in Downtown Cleveland is amazing. The tour gave me some fantastic ideas on marketing and interior design; however, I left feeling confused as to the direction our project should take for success. Should we build apartments, condos that we lease to own, strictly owner occupied condominiums, or a combination? What is a marketable selling price for our demographics? Will Condo owners be comfortable living next door to apartment dwellers that have a different personal investment in the area? What amenities should be included? A fitness center, a social space, etc. (all of which significantly drive the price up) The projects currently in place in Cleveland are all over the map. I saw an amazing condo overlooking Public Square that was selling for over ½ million and I saw some barely renovated warehouse apts. In Richland County we have strict building and fire codes making it impossible for a developer to lease space that is “raw”. Raw will cost a minimum of $100,000.00 to bring it up to codes for occupancy. Thank you once again for your input.

rockandroller & w28th, We have the OSU Branch which is experiencing amazing growth and will continue to grow. We have been unsuccessful attracting that demographic to the area, although we work closely with many people on campus (both students and admin). Do you have any suggestions? Thank you for your insightful comments.

327, Do you work from home? The reason I ask is I have been considering including an office for people who work at home. I understand that this concept of offering conference rooms, teleconferencing ability, document management, etc. to the home office professional is becoming more popular. Do you have any additional thoughts on this part of your post? Thank you for your time and consideration. annamarie

Global moderator, Thank you so much for your post. You have given me some wonderful information to ponder. I am looking forward to your next post. Annamarie

jpop, When you talk about high design are you refering to the interior, exterior, or both? Are you suggesting that you prefer a more contemporary environment rather than a more historical setting or is a combination of the two a satisfactory and even aesthetic compromise? Our structures are all turn of the century. The exteriors will all be renovated in a historic manner, however, the planned interiors for the condos are what I would term "Urban County" with hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, tall windows, and large open great rooms/kitchens. There are no newly constructed buildings. All buildings that were removed from the neighborhood have become brick parking areas or green space. Thank you for your post and any clarification you wish to give. Annamarie

Palijandro7, How do you define safety...I mean exactly what does that look like. Well lit streets, gated parking, doormen, web cams, security patrols, etc. Thank you for helping me understand what is possible and necessary for a project like this to be successful. Have a great day! Annamarie

David, Our target market for living is empty nesters and Young professionals without Kids. The developement itself is multi-use. We have 70% of the first floor space complete for retail and restaurant use. Approximately 30% of the second floors are renovated for commercial office use. The remaining 70% of upper story is unrenovated and is slated for residential. Thank you for your post. Annamarie

Hello, I am the Executive Director of an urban revitalization/downtown development company called Engwiller Properties. I am currently writing a business plan for Engwiller Properties and researching sustainability, how to create a living city, and how to create “place” within a community, among other things. Engwiller has been renovating buildings and revitalizing a neighborhood called the Carrousel District (www.carrouseldistrict.com) of Mansfield, Ohio for over 15 years. The transformation of the neighborhood is amazing; however, the project is not what I would consider sustainable or even vital at this point. Frankly, I’m not sure that the development (as it is positioned now) is meeting the current… or will meet the future…needs of the community. I would like to start a discussion on the topic of downtown revitalization. What do you feel a neighborhood, city, developer, etc. needs to provide YOU to entice you to live, work, and/or play, in the urban area of a small Midwest City? What do you think a developer should do to encourage diversity in a neighborhood…and what does diversity look like to you? What are a few sustainability principles a developer can add to its guiding principles and what does sustainability look like to you? Where do you feel the potential for growth and vitality lay for the urban core of a small Midwest City? I thought I would put my top of mind questions “out there” to see what information will come back. I hope you don’t mind my using this forum to clarify in my mind what I am trying to accomplish and what is possible. Thank you so much for any and all input. Have a great day! Annamarie