2014 IDA Achievement Award Summary Downtown Leadership and Management Kara Van Myall, County of Bruce x104

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1 2014 IDA Achievement Award Summary Downtown Leadership and Management Kara Van Myall, County of Bruce x104

Background The County of Bruce is an upper tier government that works together with its eight lower tier municipalities to fulfill its vision: Bold and beautiful Bruce County.

2 Background The County of Bruce is an upper tier government that works together with its eight lower tier municipalities to fulfill its vision: Bold and beautiful Bruce County.a healthy, caring community of prosperity and innovation. The unofficial mandate of the County of Bruce is simple: To assist our lower-tier municipalities when and where we can. In meeting this mandate the Planning and Economic Development Department developed the downtown revitalization program called Spruce the Bruce. In addition to partnering with our lower tier municipalities, the County works extensively with local and regional groups such as tourism organizations, Community Futures Development Corporations, Business Improvement Associations and Chambers of Commerce, agricultural societies and trail groups. These partnerships have allowed the County to collaborate on large scale economic development projects and leverage support, resources and financing.

3 The Challenge The downtowns in Bruce County are facing significant challenges including aging infrastructure, limited adaptability to new accessibility standards and small building footprints - not to mention increasing competition from large-scale retailers. This has created a downward cycle for our downtowns with residents shopping elsewhere, and visitors, who hear about the great destinations in Bruce County arriving to find rundown mainstreets. Downtown commercial areas make up more than 2/3 of the total commercial assessment base in Bruce County. Since the majority of visitors to the area swim at our beaches, paddle our rivers, hike on our trails, and stay in rented cottages or campgrounds, we don t generate a lot of income from our core attractions or accommodations. Downtowns are the main opportunity for visitors to contribute to our local economy. Most small municipalities and community groups lack both the financial and human resources to achieve effective results when it comes to downtown revitalization. Therefore, the County of Bruce s Planning and Economic Development Department launched the Spruce the Bruce Program in 2010 as an innovative regional downtown improvement initiative. Through staff support and financial resources this program has begun to improve the overall economic and social health of our 16 downtown commercial areas

4 The Solution The STB Program is now in its 5th year successfully establishing it as a unique revitalization strategy for Bruce County downtown communities. The Program is based on the Main Street Four-Point Approach that was developed over 30 years ago and enhances it by layering on a destination development and branding agenda. Spruce the Bruce has brought together resources to enhance, promote and maintain our traditional commercial cores and it is one of the few regional programs in downtown revitalization in the Province.

The Solution The STB Program is now in its 4 th year of full funding successfully establishing it as a unique revitalization strategy for Bruce County downtown communities.

5 The Solution The STB Program is now in its 4 th year of full funding successfully establishing it as a unique revitalization strategy for Bruce County downtown communities. The Program is based on the Main Street Four-Point Approach that was developed over 30 years ago and enhances it by layering on a destination development and branding agenda. Spruce the Bruce has brought together resources to enhance, promote and maintain our traditional commercial cores and it is one of the few regional programs in downtown revitalization in the Province.

6 The Solution The STB Program is now in its 4 th year of full funding successfully establishing it as a unique revitalization strategy for Bruce County downtown communities. The Program is based on the Main Street Four-Point Approach that was developed over 30 years ago and enhances it by layering on a destination development and branding agenda. Spruce the Bruce has brought together resources to enhance, promote and maintain our traditional commercial cores and it is one of the few regional programs in downtown revitalization in the Province.

7 The Innovation Spruce the Bruce is an innovative program in that it is one of the few regional downtown improvement programs in the Province. It partners the County level of government with its local municipalities to foster grassroots improvement initiatives to downtowns. The program uses a series of program steps culminating in available grants. The 6 grant streams are also supported through design services to help generate projects that strongly support community brands. Leading up to the grants, communities participate in a process to develop Community Toolkits. The process is supported by research into local preferences, market demands, and economic trends. Based on this research the Toolkits then outline a unique Brand for each community, provide examples of how to implement that Brand and Action Plans on how to move the Brand forward. Lastly, the program provides learning and education opportunities for all participants furthering their knowledge of the necessity of downtown improvement and ways to make it happen. Spruce the Bruce also provides supports for making changes to policies and encumbrances to program success (i.e. signage by-laws). Organization Research Community Toolkits Branding Education Resources Grants

8 The Impact Spruce the Bruce is entering its 4 th year of full funding after an initial pilot year to test the program and establish its framework. The total County of Bruce investment since 2010 is $522,965 with project partners investing an additional $1,833,818 for a total direct investment of $2,356,785 in our area downtowns. This direct investment represents $3.51 for every dollar that the County has invested and a total of 229 projects have been supported over the 5 years. STB Invested $522,965 Partners Investment $1,833,818 Complete Projects

9 The Impact Annually, the County of Bruce funds $125,000 towards the Spruce the Bruce Grant program. The following charts show the breakdown of where the funds were allocated by grant type and by participating community. The 2 nd Chart illustrates that the communities with the greatest level of participation in the grants were the ones with the greatest organizational capacity in their downtowns. 1. Amounts awarded by Grant Stream ( ) 2. Proportion of STB Grants by Community ( )

10 The Partners Participation and Partnership Spruce the Bruce is an inclusive program that is open to all downtowns in Bruce County. As was noted, only those that demonstrate Organizational capacity begin working on all the program pillars. The program provides resources to those communities struggling to get organized to help them get started. Tobermory Lion s Head Wiarton Sauble Beach Port Elgin Southampton Kincardine Lucknow Walkerton

11 Testimonials The Spruce the Bruce Program was integral in our Downtown Revitalization efforts. Our municipality was able to leverage Spruce the Bruce grants with provincial grantsthat enabled us to do much more than our original planned initiatives. We look forward to working with the Spruce the Bruce team and count on their expertise for future projects. Danielle Mulasmajic, EDO Town of South Bruce Peninsula The STB program is down-to-earth and real on-theground support for localmunicipalities. The program has reinvigorated the excitement in this community to revitalize its two downtowns. This program came about at just the right time for Huron Kinloss. It has inspired the stakeholders in the community to participate in change. The grant programs have encouraged investment in the downtowns and have given private enterprise the incentive to develop their buildings. We would encourage County Council to continue to support this program and take it one step further to make local support for economic development a permanent part of the supports that the County offers. Mary Rose Walden, CAO Township of Huron Kinloss The Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula fully supports the Spruce the Bruceconcept. The County s involvement at the local level with economic development is essential. It wouldn t happen if we did not have the County s guidance, leadership, and expertise. We look forward to our continued work together to bring the STB vision to fruition. Mary Lynn Standen, Clerk Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula

The Program does not only make investments, however: it fosters community capacity to elicit change at the grassroots with the support of the County and local municipalities.

12 Conclusion The Spruce the Bruce program is one of the leading regional approaches to downtown revitalization in the Province. Its end result is an infusion of cash into the bricks and mortar of our community downtowns. The Program does not only make investments, however: it fosters community capacity to elicit change at the grassroots with the support of the County and local municipalities. Empowering the Organizational capacity at the local level is one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of the Spruce the Bruce program. Once that organizational capacity is in place the opportunities to work with communities abound. Working through the program to develop the Community Brand, pull together a Community Toolkit with an Action Plan, amend and update policy and procedures and see that translate into on-the-ground examples speaks to the success of the Spruce the Bruce program. After 5 years in existence, the Spruce the Bruce program is well positioned to be showcased as a successful, coordinated example of Downtown Leadership and Management. The broader downtown community can learn from this Program s successes and challenges and the potential to replicate the Program in other areas and regions is an opportunity for all downtown professionals. Rankin River, Wiarton, ON Façade Improvement & Perpendicular Signage Grant

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