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If the final product lives up to the preview, Evanston should have plenty of recommendations for how the city can improve its business district.
Representatives from Interface Studio, LLC learned at a Feb. 22 meeting of members of the city’s Economic Development Committee that Evanston’s eight business districts will release their draft study on March 10.
Last May, the Evanston City Council approved a $245,000 consulting agreement with a Philadelphia-based business analytics firm that officials hope will provide a blueprint for the city’s economic development success as it emerges from Covid-19.
“In business owners, think of ways to combine experiences and insights at the beginning of planning and discussion, rather than at the tail end.”
Advice from Sruvis Advance Report.
The company’s research included a survey of 2,100 residents and more than 220 business owners.
“This was a tough lift,” Sarah Kellerman, a member of the Interface Studio team, told EDC members. We fielded a lot of questions and I have to say, the business community was very thoughtful and often provided long-winded answers.
Most of the company’s recommendations are related to business and economic growth, with 55.8% of business owners listed as the No. 1 priority in surveys.
Kellerman offered a small example from the organization’s research — focusing on how the city distributes money through its Great Merchant program.
The company says, “60 to 90% of the money is spent annually on landscaping and maintenance of existing plants and green spaces.”
The program includes many other uses for which the money could be put, from infrastructure improvements to marketing brochures, maps, district-event posters.
Kellerman said the limited use is an example of a “real imbalance” compared to “what some of these businesses are interested in implementing in their district.”
Another initial recommendation calls for rethinking and streamlining internal processes and programs to better support Evanston business owners.
Some suggested measures include loosening food truck parking regulations in that area, reassessing the city’s entertainment tax (high compared to other communities), providing guidelines for businesses interested in building parklet/sidewall cafes, providing incentives to fill empty storefronts.
As Evanston residents look for business locations to provide more entertainment and entertainment, “then having a higher entertainment tax in the region is something we should probably look at,” Kellerman said.
Be proactive rather than reactive
Business owners also want an opportunity to weigh in on ideas that impact their business, Kellerman told EDC members.
She noticed the backlash from the business community after the city council banned businesses from going cashless. Several business owners suggested alternatives to the ordinance after city officials pushed back for further comment.
“This is a very collaborative and vocal business environment,” Kellerman said.
It requires strengthening collaborations with major institutions, including a partnership with Northwestern, to organize large-scale events that attract students and visitors.
Other suggestions include frequenting Evanston’s most unique areas, such as Fountain Square and the lakefront.
The consultants recommended that the city create a special events coordinator to create and promote city-sponsored events and oversee licensing, coordination and execution.
Activate the fountain square
In Fountain Square, officials should consider a pilot program to bring the city’s beloved farmers market there as a way to revitalize the space, the report said.
“This will be an example of how we can improve the process or expand the reach of the event to drive people to a brick-and-mortar business,” Kellerman said.
Other cities like Madison, for example, have a farmers market downtown, and retailers benefit a lot,” she said.
One of the study’s main focuses, she told EDC members, is “not what drives customers to a business, but what drives retailers to Evanston.” So we’re wondering how businesses, whether they’re franchisees or local businesses, think about making the choice to locate somewhere.
Overall, Evanston offers a retail environment that is “unrivalled on the North Shore,” she told EDC members.
The city has this “exciting dynamic, where you have the ability to offer big-city benefits” like many theaters, “but you also have family-friendly amenities” with more of a suburban feel.
“You’re also going through some big urban upheavals,” she said.
It burns.To a Work plan
In a discussion after the presentation, Councilman Bobby Burns, 5th Ward, spoke about the challenge of taking the organization’s recommendations as they come out and developing this into a work plan.
“As a councillor, I’m really busy and I think I’ve got a good staffing capacity, but I don’t think we have (enough capacity) to take on most projects, let alone something of this magnitude. “
“And how do we actually think about support to do meaningful work planning and implementation,” he asked.
The city’s economic development manager, Paul Zalmezak, also admitted the matter before the authorities.
The recommendations in the report are “literally 27 pages, which is a huge undertaking,” he said.
Initially, he proposed that the committee meet in small groups and divide the report into smaller sections.
Councilman Jonathan Nieuwsma, 4th Ward, also acknowledged that the action section is really important.
“We paid a lot of money for a piece of advice and now what do we do with it,” he said, stressing the need for some kind of roadmap and thought process to move forward.
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