On the Local Level
Main Street Cleveland is committed to improving all aspects of the downtown or central business district area, producing both tangible and intangible benefits. Improving economic management, strengthening public participation, and making downtown a fun place to visit are as critical to MainStreet Cleveland's future as recruiting new businesses, rehabilitating buildings, and expanding parking. Building on downtown's inherent assets: rich architecture, personal service, and traditional values and most of all, a sense of place.

MainStreet Cleveland has adopted a strategy which is tailored to local needs and opportunities, in four broad areas:

Economic Development: Enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging supportive new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, and long-term planning. Strengthening the district's existing economic base while finding ways to expand it to meet new opportunities -- and challenges from outlying development.

Organization: Building consensus and cooperation among the many groups and individuals who have a role in the revitalization process.

Promotion: Marketing the traditional commercial district's assets to customers, potential investors, new businesses, local citizens and visitors.

Funding: Finding new alternatives for additional funding such as grants and other available avenues for project completion. Also in charge of budget and expenditures.

The National Main Street Center's experience in helping communities bring their downtowns back to life has shown time and time again that successful efforts are always combined with the following eight principles:

Comprehensive: A single project cannot revitalize a downtown or
commercial neighborhood. An ongoing series of initiatives is vital to build
community support and create lasting progress.

Incremental: Small projects make a big difference. They demonstrate that
"things are happening" on Main Street and hone the skills and confidence
the program will need to tackle more complex problems.

Self-Help: Although the National Main Street Center can provide valuable
direction and hands-on technical assistance, only local leadership can
initiate long-term success by fostering and demonstrating community
involvement and commitment to the revitalization effort.

Public/private partnership: Every local Main Street program needs the
support and expertise of both the public and private sectors. For an
effective partnership, each must recognize the strengths and weaknesses
of the other.

Identifying and capitalizing on existing assets: One of the National
Main Street Center's key goals is to help communities recognize and
make the best use of their unique offerings. Local assets provide the solid
foundation for a successful Main Street initiative.

Quality: From storefront design to promotional campaigns to special
events, quality must be the main goal.

Change: Changing community attitudes and habits is essential to bring
about a commercial district renaissance. A carefully planned Main Street
program will help shift public perceptions and practices to support and
sustain the revitalization process.

Action-oriented: Frequent, visible changes in the look and activities of the
commercial district will reinforce the perception of positive change. Small,
but dramatic improvements early in the process will remind the community
that the revitalization effort is under way.

MainStreet Cleveland advocates are commonly asked "Why should we invest in downtown?" In response, here are a few reasons why downtown Cleveland is an important and worthwhile investment in the economic health and quality of life in your community.

MainStreet Cleveland is a symbol of community economic health, local quality of life, pride, and community history. These are all factors in industrial, commercial and professional recruitment.

A vital downtown retains and creates jobs, which also means a
stronger tax base. Long-term revitalization establishes capable businesses
that use public services and provide tax revenues for the community.

Downtown Cleveland is also a good incubator for new small businesses ­ the building blocks of a healthy economy. Strip centers and malls are often too expensive for new entrepreneurs.

MainStreet Cleveland, along with a healthy and vibrant downtown, protects property values in surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The traditional central business district is an ideal location for independent
businesses, which in turn:

• Keep profits in Cleveland. Chain businesses send profits out of town.
• Supports local families with family-owned businesses
• Supports local community projects, such as ball teams and schools
• Provide an extremely stable economic foundation, as opposed to a few
  large businesses and chains with no ties to stay in the community

A revitalized Main Street increases the community's options for goods
and services: whether for basic staples, like clothing, food and professional
services or less traditional functions such as housing and entertainment.

MainStreet Cleveland provides an important civic forum, where members of the community can congregate. Parades, special events and celebrations held there reinforce intangible sense of community. Private developments like malls can and do restrict free speech and access.

Our goal is for the downtown area, the MainStreet Cleveland district, to become a tourist attractions by virtue of the character of buildings, location, selection of unique businesses, and events held here.

On the National Level:
The National Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation .Since 1980, the National Main Street Center has been working with communities across the nation to revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas. Based in historic preservation, the Main Street approach was developed to save historic commercial architecture and the fabric of American communities' built environment, but has become a powerful economic development tool as well.

The Main Street approach has rekindled entrepreneurship, downtown cooperation and
civic concern. It has earned national recognition as a practical strategy appropriately
scaled to a community's local resources and conditions. And because it is a locally driven program, all initiative stems from local issues and concerns.