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HRSR INFORMATION 09-23-2002 SAP 0 3 2002 ORWht° 11 I ..` a _ �' :; Vol 49, No. 17 •♦ September 1, 2002 `:Essentia�'��t�ori�atian:FQr,E�� rtfou�n;�evi�a�izctt�o�r =�k � ;.��� �,...._�, •t Proactive approach helps town centers Case Study: 1 in struggle to retain post offices Local control of state route is a cornerstone of this The post office is a central part closing a facility, forcing the Postal redevelopment effort of many downtowns—in fact Service to take into account the some downtowns sprung up around extent to which the post office is a Maplewood, NJ (pop. 22,000), the post office, and in some small part of a core downtown business has successfully petitioned to take towns, a post office may be the area; concerns of local officials, control of Springfield Avenue, a only community gathering place. including consistency with growth main thoroughfare and state high But more and more downtown post projections and land use plans; and way, from the state of New Jersey, offices are in danger. The cash- consistency with the size, scale, with an eye toward creating a strapped United States Postal design, and general character of pedestrian- and motorist-friendly 4 ri) Service (USPS), grappling with a the surrounding community. shopping district. Maplewood is projected $1.5 billion deficit for "Post offices are critical to only the second town in the state to 2002 and a mandate to be self-suf- downtowns," says a spokesperson make such a request, but according ficient, is seeking the right to oper- for Congressman Blumenauer. to Beth Anne Macdonald, director ate more as an independent compa- "They have been closing in a lot of of the Springfield Avenue Partner ny. One way it hopes to achieve small towns especially, and mov- ship (SAP), a special improvement that is to close money-losing facili- ing out to areas which are not district funded by a tax imposed on ties or to consolidate offices into accessible to people. They can't the two-mile corridor, control of more cost-efficient ones on the out- walk there and it doesn't help the the route is the cornerstone of the skirts of town. local commerce." city's plans. That's what happened in (Continued on page 3 Congress considers action ( P g 3) Encinitas, CA (pop. 55,000), a little At the same time, Congress, over a year ago, when the Postal recognizing the importance of a Service closed the downtown Inside this issue post office to a vibrant town center, branch, directing its downtown cus • is considering a law that would • Handling post office parking Comers to a pair of small branches, problems . . . 2 force the Postal Service to take the p each about two and a half miles community into account when con- away, or the new main branch six sidering closures. The Post Office • Keep your post office miles away. downtown 3 Community Partnership Act of "It does affect the businesses 2001 bill, introduced by Congress- downtown,„ according to Kristina . Heat-stam in offers cheap man Earl Blumenauer(D-OR) and Murray, assistant director of the Heat-stamping p cosponsored by 57 other members alternative to pavers' 5 . Downtown Encinitas MainStreet of Congress, is still in committee. Association (DEMA). "A lot of the It would modify the factors the • One-stop shopping for USPS will have to consider when (Continued on page 2) economic incentives 6 ©2002 Alexander Communications Group, Inc.All rights reserved. ISSN 0012-5822 Downtown® Town centers struggle —continued from page 1 Idea Exchange a publication of the Downtown Research&Development Center businesses in our downtown are a small community,you'd like to ip 28 West 25th Street—8th Floor mom-and-pop establishments, and have a post office,a library, a village New York,NY 10010 Phone:(22)228-0246•Fax:(212)228-0376 it's hard for them to get out to the store, maybe a community restau- Email:info @DowntownDevelopment.com post office during the day." rant,the municipal government. Website:www.DowntownDevelopment.com Loss creates identity crisis Once you lose one, you run the risk Publishing Staff: of losing another one, and over time, Editor Jeanne O'Brien Coffey It's not just the inconvenience (201)653-5414 —town centers without a post there's a downward spiral" Editorial Director William Keenan Jr.,ext.112 office suffer an identity crisis. Battling a downward spiral Customer Service Mary Pagliamli,ext.101 "Downtowns are notorious for hav- Unfortunately, that downward Reprints and Permissions ing post offices, and we've lost spiral may have begun in Pittsford, Mary Dalessandro,ext.103 ours," Murray says. `Our down- VT (pop. 3,000), Bruhn says. A Publisher Margaret DeWitt,ext.106 town had a post office in it for few years ago, the town offices Advisory Board: more than 100 years.Whether it were moved out of the village cen- Laurence A.Alexander,Downtown Research &Development Center started in a feed ter. The store or a drug Preservation Peter Beronio,Englewood[NJ] g ��Downtowns are notorious on Economic Development Corp. store, we've Trust is now for having post offices, and Toni-Lynn n ni-LynnTrottier,CSM,Rutland[VT] always had one, assisting local Downtown Rutland Partnership and now we don't we've ve lost ours." advocates with Kent Robertson, St.Cloud[MN]State University anymore." a battle to keep Laverne Stegall,Jackson[Ms] "A post office is a vital part of a the post office from following suit. Capital Center Inc. vibrant town center,"adds Paul This isn't the first case the Downtown Idea Exchange®is published twice monthly by the Bruhn, executive director of the Preservation Trust has gotten Downtown Research&Development Center.The Center pro- vides news,information and analysis for successful downtown Preservation Trust of Vermont. "The involved in. The disappearance of 40 revitalization through its newsletters,books and reports. post office is a really important post offices from town centers in ir ©2002 Alexander Communications Group,Inc.All rights reserved No part of this publication may be piece of what attracts people to vil- Vermont has become such an issue ik reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or trans- mated in any form or by any means,electronic, lage centers.Especially if you're in that the organization has published mechanical,photocopying or otherwise,without the prior writ- ten permission of Alexander Communications Group. Subscription Order Form: Handling post office parking problems Please start/renew my one-year subscription to Downtown Idea Parking needs are a common rationale the post office offers for Exchange for$197.* moving a facility out of downtown.Here are some ideas from A Local Official's.Guide to Developing Better Community Post Offices for chal- NAME lenging the parking needs argument: - TITLE • Survey the number of post office customers that walk, car pool, FIRM/ORGANIZATION or park while running various errands in the downtown area(i.e., shared ADDRESS parking) and encourage the USPS (United States Postal Service).to. decrease the customer parking needs accordingly. CITY STATE ZIP - • Encourage the USPS to consider sharing the city route vehicle PHONE parking spaces that remain empty for most of the day with the cus- FAX tomer spaces. EMAIL N15 • If the parking requirements include community growth projec- 4:1 MAIL: 28 West 25th Street—8th Floor tions, encourage.the USPS to set land aside but postpone paving.it New York,NY 10010 iill FAX: (212)228-0376 until the need arises. - W PHONE: (800)232-4317 • Encourage the USPS to consider on-street parking and any other . EMAIL info@DowntownDevelopmentcom •North America,$197.Elsewhere,$227 nearby public parking facilities.... (includes airmail delivery). - - 2 • Downtown Idea Exchange • September 1, 2002 • a booklet (see box below) offering A proactive approach may not postal service,though. In that cen- downtowns a proactive approach to save the downtown branch of the tral business district,it's not prof- retaining their post offices. Delray Beach,FL (pop. 47,000), itability that is driving the closure, Keep your post office downtown If the Postal Service (USPS) announces an inten- blance to the town you live in or your town's future tion to close the facility in your downtown, you're not growth plans. helpless. The LISPS is required to take certain steps • Suggest a process that includes more cooper- before closing, and some communities that mobilize ation and collaboration and longer timelines than the early have successfully kept the post office down- regulations require. town. For example,the USPS must meet with local officials as a first step, describing the needs of the • And finally, impress upon the postal representa- post office and the scope of the new project. Here tives your town's commitment to a vital town center are some tips for preparing for that meeting and fol- and the essential role that the post office plays in that lowing up. These tips are excerpted from A Local vitality. " Official's Guide to Developing Better Community Post Immediately after the meeting: Offices, a project of the Vermont League of Cities • Send a follow-up letter to the USPS officials, and Towns,the Preservation Trust of Vermont, and recapping what was proposed, presented and dis- the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. cussed at the meeting. Copy that letter to the state Before the meeting: and local leaders identified above. Act quickly. Identify state, regional, and local • Call a meeting of the local and state leaders • leaders that are committed to the preservation or identified above to identify strategies for keeping the revitalization of your community's downtown and let post office downtown. them know that the post office is considering a relo- •Spend some time analyzing the data and infor- cation. Those contacted should include: select mation provided by the USPS officials. Compare it board or city council members, local/state or region- with your own data. Check to see if it is internally al planners, local/state historic preservation officials, consistent (i.e. ,are they proposing three employees local chamber of commerce and/or other business but asking for nine employee parking spaces), groups, neighbors, local development, revitalization Examine the information critically and present fol- or "beautification" committees, congressional low-up questions in writing as necessary. offices, and business leaders. • Establish a team to begin to explore alterna- At the meeting: tives and to be able to respond to problems and • Make sure you understand the reasons the proposals presented by the post office. Consider all USPS has identified that require a relocation, e.g., alternatives, including separating postal functions — more ;space for sorting, distribution, and circulation; keeping retail services downtown if circulation and more space for retail services; more space for park- distribution services cannot be accommodated. ing and truck traffic; unsafe and deteriorating work • Be creative when considering how to get nec- space. If you are going to promote a viable alterna- essary information. The USPS officials may not tive, you will need to directly respond to the needs always be the most efficient source. and problems identified by the post office. • Visit other post offices in your region, especially • Ask the postal officials for details that quantify ones built in the last five years. Consider talking to the problems. Request that all information be in writ- carriers and postal clerks to get a better understand- ing - it will make your analysis and response to the ing of the operations and needs of the post office. information easier:When requesting information, do Contact:For more information, or a copy of the full 41 not settle for vague or off-point answers. Keep ask- booklet, contact the Preservation Trust of Vermont, 104 ing. If the postal service is relying on demographic Church St., Burlington, VT 05401, (802)658-6647. The data, review it closely. The data may have no resem- book is also available on the web, at www.ptvermont.org. September 1, 2002 • Downtown Idea Exchange • 3 it's lack of space.The owner of the ing to house the post office, which invested millions of dollars in the property leased by the USPS in attracts several hundred customers a Pineapple Grove neighborhood, and downtown Delray Beach doesn't day, Glenn Weiss, executive director a visit to the post office provides a • want to renew.With of Pineapple Grove way for regular people to discover no budget to build a �� Main Street, says the transformed neighborhood. `"The facility, and little If somebody's lost in that his research post office is extremely significant to vacant space down- the neighborhood, indicates that it's the success of our business district,„ town suitable to they're looking for the a money-losing Weiss says. "If somebody's lost in house the whole post office.” proposition. The the neighborhood,they're looking for facility, including only privately run post office boxes, a post office in the the post office.Without that public sorting facility, and counter service, area loses$60,000 to $70,000 a facility draw,we lose a great deal" the USPS is seeking a private busi- year.According to Weiss, the post Contacts:Krishna Murray, Downtown ness to take over its operations, office has not been very forthcom- Encinitas MainStreet Association, (760) which will require about 4,000 ing or responsive in working with 943-1950; Glenn Weiss, Pineapple Grove Main Street, gw @glennweiss.com;Paul square feet and parking.While the the community to keep services Bruhn, executive director of the USPS is willing to provide some downtown. Preservation Trust of Vermont, (802) incentives to a private company will- Weiss says the city has recently 658-6647,paul @ptvermont.org. • Cornerstone of redevelopment effort -continued from page 1 "All our plans were contingent hosts several auto body shops, car gateway designs at either end of • on taking back the highway,"says dealerships, and other businesses the corridor to clearly designate Macdonald. "That was such a big geared toward motorists. There- that travelers have entered step—you can't change anything if fore, the city's plans include Maplewood. The SAP is the second it's under State Department of acknowledging the heavy vehicular special improvement district in Transportation jurisdiction" corridor, but creating within that Maplewood. The first is what is Taking the street back is some pedestrian-friendly nodes. more traditionally considered the expected to cost the municipality "We're trying to shore up what area's downtown, where the train about$100,000 a have traditionally station is located. year in upkeep, been the more according to the "All our plans were pedestrian-traffic Matching the streetscape Newark Star Ledger, contingent on taking areas," Macdonald elements to the use but the state is pay- back the highway." says.While firm Streetscaping will separate the ing for the current plans haven't been motorist-friendly areas from the paving and imprint- established, this pedestrian-friendly ones. For exam ing new crosswalks, as well as may even include relocating some ple, the car dealerships and other providing an extra$2 million in businesses—perhaps asking a drive-up areas will feature larger discretionary aid for the strip. business like an insurance compa- trees, while the pedestrian zones Creating a pedestrian-friendly ny that doesn't generate a lot of will have smaller-scale trees, enclave on a busy street foot traffic to move to a second planters and benches. The city also Taking control of the corridor floor to free up space for ground plans to install pedestrian-scale doesn't change its primary func- floor retail. Plans also call for tra- lighting. "Because we're on the tion, however—carrying a lot of ditional traffic-calming measures state highway, we've always had • car traffic from one point to anoth- like bump-outs to help create a this very high overhead lighting, er. The two-mile corridor also safer area for pedestrians, and new but it doesn't provide much pedes- 4 • Downtown Idea Exchange • September 1, 2002 trian ambience, and it doesn't nec- imagination, but we do know that "We use it as a one-stop shop essarily provide much light on the we have some larger blocks of to get an idea of who is expanding • sidewalks,"Macdonald says. Plans land that are likely going to be and what kind of space they're also call for new trash receptacles, filled by something that can be looking for," Macdonald says. "It bike racks, information kiosks, and sustained on that big a piece of cuts down on some of the legwork signage. property," she says. "The town and for us" the residents seem very receptive Macdonald says DealMakers Courting family-friendly to that." has helped SAP to think specifical- national chains ly about the space that is available In response to community Newsletter assists on Springfield Avenue, and the plans to focus retail retail search desires, SAP P types of retailers that would be recruitment for the corridor, which SAP is just a year old, so the interested in that space. "Based on has a vacancy rate of around 12 organization is still in the planning y what the community is asking for, percent, on restaurants and retail stages for retail recruitment, but it we can use this to cross-reference with a family focus. "We have a lot has started making some prelimi- to find retailers that match with the of leakage —people leaving nary contacts, based partly upon property we have available, so Maplewood to shop," Macdonald information gleaned from a we're not going in cold-calling says. "We're seeking more family- newsletter called DealMakers. The when we might not have things that friendly offerings—restaurants national weekly publication, put fit with them. It just allows us to be and specialty stores like gift and out by TKO/Real Estate Advisory a bit more informed when we do card shops. Shoe stores is also a Group in Mercerville, NJ, focuses our searches." really big one on the list." One way on retailing and real estate and Contacts: SAP is hoping to fill that need is offers information on expanding Beth Anne Macdonald, Spring- SAP Avenue Partnership, (973) 763- 3- with national chains, she adds. retailers, centers for sale and lease, 6011, email:springfieldave @att.net. "We're not trying to create a shop- and insight into what's happening Deal-Makers newsletter, www property. ioping mall by any stretch of the in the industry. corn. • Heat-stamping provides an economical alternative to brick pavers' With a high-traffic roadway running down the Statewide employs technology from Integrated center of its streetscape project, defining the two-mile Paving Concepts in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Springfield Avenue corridor district in Maplewood, NJ, While the process is typically applied to fresh pave- is difficult yet important for slowing cars and alert- ment, in Maplewood's case, Statewide used infrared ing drivers to the possibility of pedestrians.To create light to heat already-set pavement to apply the a visual definition for the district,Maplewood chose imprint,which looks like grout lines in traditional brick to use a heat imprint technique to mimic the look of pavers.The templates come in a variety of patterns cobblestones on the street,with a herringbone pat- such as herringbone, brick, cobblestone, or random tern for the crosswalks. stone. A fortifying polymer/cement surfacing system, According to Mike Plath, director of marketing available in several colors, seals the surface. and sales for Statewide Striping in Parsippany, NJ, Plath says the look is very similar to traditional which did the work in Maplewood, this heat-stamp- pavers. "If you drove over it, you'd think it's brick," ing process costs about half the price of pavers, he says. The process, with occasional reapplication and tends to be more durable. of the polymer topcoat, is intended to last the life of the pavement, he adds. "Brick pavers are a problem, especially on roads like [Springfield Avenue] because, while they look Contact:Mike Plath, Statewide Striping Corp., 499 NJ 07054, (973)428-0600; nice, they heave in a freeze-frost cycle and become Pomeroy Rd., Parsippany, Integrated Paving Concepts, Suite 102, 17957 55th Ave.,. 1110 a trip hazard," Plath says. In addition, brick pavers Surrey,British Columbia, CAN V3S 6C4, (604)574-7510; take much longer to install and are very susceptible Fax:(604)574-7520.' www.streetprint.com, email: to vibrations from heavy traffic. info@streetprint.com. September 1, 2002 • Downtown Idea Exchange • 5 One-stop shopping for economic incentives speeds development and revitalizes Canadian community's downtown 0 A streamlined process for clean up graffiti and streets, worked waiving of development charges. assisting developers and offering with bar owners and the police to Here are some highlights of the economic incentives has led to a deal with drunken rowdies," he package: burst of new development in recalls. •The tax rebate offered by the Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (pop. city, equal to 50 percent of the city's 200,000). Self-supporting facade improvement program portion of the property tax increase "We have adopted a `One Stop attributed to the improvements,is Shopping' approach, where one They also kick-started a finan valid for three years, starting in the person coordinates, based on clear- cial incentive program. The first p year following occupancy. ly established guidelines and pro- piece of the economic incentive strategy was a Loan •The funding for feasibility cedures," says Wayne Pearce, gy studies, equal to 50 percent of the architectural technologist and Program. Launched in 1992, it is loans/incentives coordinator for the now a(CAN) $2 million self-sup- value of the study up to $10,000, is city of Kitchener. "Some projects porting fund that intended to support move at light speed, so you must provides financial the renovation and y P b P "The entire focus of conversion of target- have a flexible system to keep up assistance to the with them. Otherwise, you're part owners of down- City Hall was switched ed adaptive reuse I of the problem." regulator projects.town commercial from that of a properties who of red tape to a cooper- •All municipal Planning decisions application fees for favored the periphery want to make ating service provider.” demolition and The incentive program improvements to building peunits, fb launched in the mid-1990s, after a either the exterior or interior of their buildings. For site plan approvals, occupancy cer- few boom decades were followed b ' tificates, and sign permits are eligi- by an economic bust, Pearce says. any one municipal address, the maximum loan is (CAN) $7,500 ble for rebate by the city upon final At that time, "many planning deci- ( ) $ 500 for inspection of the completed project sions favored development on the the exterior and an additional and with approval of council. periphery rather than in the down- (CAN) $7,500 for the interior. town," he says, and downtown fell Larger buildings with more than Change in attitude into a combination of empty store- one tenant are assessed on an indi- Economic incentives aside, fronts, high vacancy rates for office vidual basis, with a maximum of Pearce says perhaps the most and retail, run-down buildings, (CAN) $45,000 for any one owner. important part of the program is absentee landlords, and an over- The city forgives 15 percent of the the attitude of the municipal gov- abundance of marginalized people, loan, and interest rates are fixed at ernment. "The entire focus of City he recalls. 8 percent for the five-year term of Hall was switched from that of a In the mid-1990s, a new mayor the loan. regulator of red tape to a cooperat- refocused strategies to revitalize ing service provider," Pearce says. Broad package downtown, creating a task force to "For example, our building inspec- of problems and solutions of financial incentives tion staff is available to meet with This program was followed in ranging from reversing one-way potential developers to review streets, forming partnerships with 1996 by some planning concessions existing buildings and discuss arts groups, and building new park- relating to park dedication fees and building code issues ing garages. "We encouraged local parking requirements, followed in The formula seems to be ownership and control, went 1997 by a package of incentives working. The latest in a string of • through the downtown enforcing including tax rebates, funding for new projects is the Kitchener property standards and fire safety feasibility studies, rebates for build- Market. Currently under construc- requirements, used city crews to ing permits and planning fees, and tion, it's a joint venture with con- 6 • Downtown Idea Exchange • September 1, 2002 dos, market, and retail areas cov- improved building; business of the number of pedestrians on the ering a whole city block. year..." Pearce says."We measure street.... I can sum it up this way: • Awards celebrate success success by the number of full/ where there's political will and "We `Celebrate Success' every empty store-fronts, the vacancy cooperation anything is possible." year with an event that provides rate, the number of cranes on the Contact: Wayne Pearce, (519) 741- awards in various categories, i.e., skyline, the parking problem we 2429;fax: (519) 741-2775, email: most innovative retailer; most didn't have two years ago, the wayne.pearce@ city.kitcheneron.ca. • change Philadelphia district offers ship. The participating libraries What's In Store safety, life seminars will also host free seminars where • Portland, OR unveils The Center City District of potential buyers can learn about housing locator Philadelphia offers specialized the home buying and mortgage programs for downtown office ten—lending process. The cities include • Philadelphia district offers Atlanta, Boston, Ft. Worth, ants. Individualized seminars offer safety, life seminars Houston, Phoenix, New York's workers tips on topics like how to • Library help for low-income prevent identity theft and main borough of Queens, San Francisco, house hunters taming personal safety when com- muting. and Washington, DC. Security surveys of offices Contact:American Library Association, • Tips for combating graffiti Lara Clark, (312)280-5043, lclark@ help reduces losses and liabilities. • Get vacant property tips The district also holds "Safe & ala.org. iponline Smart Fairs," free lunchtime events • Software program simulates in building lobbies during which IDA plans annual city layout employees can talk directly with conference police officers, transportation rep- The International Downtown Portland' OR unveils resentatives, and the district's rep- Association has scheduled its 48th resentatives about downtown din- annual conference, themed"Buying housing locator ing, culture, and sho pping• into city living, from downtowns to The city of Portland, OR(pop. Contact:Stacy Irving,Director of neighborhoods," in Boston,MA, 437,319),has developed an online Crime Prevention Services, Center from September 28—October 1, housing information system. Called City District, (215)440-5500. 2002.The conference will focus on Housing Connections,the Internet- what it takes to bring the city back based service is intended to provide Library help for low- to life,from security to marketing, up-to-date and comprehensive hous- income house hunters from management to development. ing information for three groups: To help educate low-income Contact:Donna Vaught, director of con- renters,landlords, and property families about the process of buy- ferences and events, International managers.The site offers a search- Downtown Association, (202)293-4505, ing a home,Wells Fargo and the able housing locator, an affordabili- American Library Association are dvaught @ida-downtown.org, www.ida ty calculator, a waitlist management providing grants to libraries in downtown.org. tool, and an online rental applica- eight cities with a high concentra- tion.The latter two services will be tion of low- to middle-income Tips for combating graffiti live by this fall.The site is families and minorities. The grants Just starting out developing a Ask www.housingconnections.org. are to be used to buy reference program to combat graffiti? Here lip Contact:Housing Connections, (503)823- materials on homeownership and are some starting points from the 4141;staff @housingconnections.org. the financial aspect of homeowner- Nograf Network, an online infor- September 1, 2002 • Downtown Idea Exchange • 7 Idea . , ., �_ c�arige. mation source for anti-graffiti —Portland, OR (pop. 437,000), equipment, according to Kathleen efforts. Richmond,VA (pop. 203,000) and Concannon, director of Safety and • Establish an 800 number for San Diego (pop. 1.1 million) and Operations for the sanitation citizens to call in to report graffiti. how they have handled the prob- department. Training centered • Have a database to record the lem. Each approached the problem around demonstrations of the calls/locations. in varying ways, from aggressive effectiveness of the vests in dark •Take digital photos of each code and law enforcement to part- conditions,including turning off location prior to being cleaned. nering with local community the lights and showing videos of • Create a database to hold development communities. the vests in various nighttime con- these pictures as well as victim Contact:ICMA, (202)289-4262. ditions. "That's where the under information, cost, and suspect standing began," says Concannon. information. IEDC hosts annual Contact:Donna Fleming, 3M Corp., • Graffiti must be removed conference (651) 736-7646, dfleming @mmm.com. within 24 hours with attention to The International Economic removal within the first few hours program Development Council's annual simulates city layout la around schools and high traffic conference will take place in areas. Oakland, CA, from September Software from a company • The police should allocate 22_25. The conference will focus called Community Viz allows urban one full-time officer that is inter on a number of issues facing planners to build photo-realistic 3-D ested in graffiti. municipalities, including brown interactive models of their land-use • Offer free paint and roller/ fields, economic development, and proposals, conduct "fly-throughs," 0 brushes to groups who want to do transportation trends. and consider alternate designs in clean up and/or paint outs in their Contact:www iedconline.org/Annual real time. The company says its community. Conference/home.html, (202)223-7800. software has been used for forest- Conference/home.html, • Use a water power washer in fire risk management in Missoula, addition to paint crews. Chicago educates city MT (pop. 43,000), affordable Contact:www.nograffiti.com, ranbud@ workers on vest benefits housing planning in Steamboat starband.net. Springs, CO (pop. 6,695); and sce- In an effort to boost safety nario comparisons in Santa Fe, Get vacant properties tips among its city sanitation workers, NM (pop. 56,000). The software Online from ICMA Chicago (pop. 2.8 million) imple- costs from $3,000:to $5,000 mented a safety training program depending on features desired. The International City/County to coincide with the purchase of Case studies and additional infor- Management Association (ICMA) new reflective vests from 3M. mation are available at the compa- has established an online resource Sanitation workers were reluctant ny website. page and discussion group to trade to wear vests, largely because they Contact: CommunityViz, www.communi- ideas about dealing with vacant weren't viewed as a piece of safety tyviz.com, (303)442-8800. • properties.The site, http://icma.org/ issueintersections/vacantproperties. Stay in touch cfm, offers free online documents and a link to related websites, and Is your downtown doing something innovative, in anything from maintains an email discussion economic development to trash pickup? Please contact Jeanne group of government professionals O'Brien Coffey, editor, at jobrien @downtowndevelopment.com. Great dealing with abandoned properties ideas will be featured in upcoming issues. And don't forget to visit us and vacant lots. Included on the on the Web for a calendar of events and free planning resources. • site are case studies of three cities Thank you for your continued support. d 8 • Downtown Idea Exchange • September 1, 2002