Highland DDA

Highland Township, Michigan

Preserving the Past with a Vision of the Future

Highland was named a Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) community on September 21, 2005!  MSOC is an economic development program, specifically targeted to provide downtown management training and technical assistance to the 30 traditional downtowns in the County. Their mission is "to maximize the economic potential and to preserve the heritage and sense of place of Oakland County's historic commercial districts by encouraging and facilitating the use of the Main Street Four Point Approach which emphasizes economic development within the context of historic preservation." The National Trust Main Street Center offers a comprehensive commercial district revitalization strategy that has been widely successful in towns and cities nationwide.

We believe that the Main Street structure is worth adopting! The structure of the governing board (the HDDA) and four subcommittees not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders. Coincidentally, the four points of the Main Street approach correspond with the four forces of real estate value, which are social, political, physical, and economic.

You can get in on the "ground floor" as this organization grows!  Members of the community are encouraged to join a committee and establish regular meeting times and locations. Below are descriptions of each of the four committees:

1.  Organization involves coordinating community efforts toward the same goal. The organization committee assembles the appropriate human and financial resources to implement a revitalization program. Partnering with various community groups, businesses and private investors to reach consensus on important issues and to maintain a shared vision for Highland, the organization committee builds a foundation for a successful downtown area.  This committee is the “personnel department” of the program, keeping the volunteers productive and happy, while creatively building a solid financial foundation. The organization committee will lead efforts such as:

·         Assisting the DDA board with planning and implementation of fund raising and creating projects to supplement the budget as needed

·         Attracting volunteers to do the work of the program

·         Facilitating communication within the organization and with the community at large

2.  Promotion sells a positive image of the Highland Station and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the downtown district. By marketing our district's unique characteristics to residents, investors, business owners, and visitors, an effective promotional strategy forges a positive image and confidence in the area through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers. To market downtown effectively, promotion should cover three areas:

·         Special Events: created to bring people to the community to enjoy themselves while introducing or re-introducing them to local businesses. Special events should include music, food and something for children.

·         Retail Events: designed to make cash registers ring. Retail events may or may not be discount-related. Main Street stresses non-discount promotion to expose customers to downtown businesses' goods and services.

·         Image Campaigns/Activities: change any negative impressions, reinforce the positive, and influence existing/potential customers. These events create a healthy image that stimulates consumer activity.

3.  Design means getting Highland Station into top physical shape. An inviting atmosphere, created through attractive window displays, parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping conveys a positive visual message about the commercial district and what it has to offer. Good maintenance practices are key in the downtown district, enhancing the physical appearance of the Highland Station by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, and long-term planning.  The Design committee will undertake a variety of tasks including:

·         Reinforce the idea that existing structures in the downtown represent a substantial investment and opportunity. Their continued maintenance and utilization (and the use of existing infrastructure) is an efficient use of local resources. These structures provide a low cost opportunity for business development and expansions

·         Identify visual enhancements to the downtown area, including building and streetscape improvements

·         Provide design assistance, advice and information regarding façade and building improvement as well as regarding proper care and maintenance of historic structures

·         Advise the general public of the importance of maintenance. Publicize investments made by local property owners into such areas as roofs, tuck pointing and mechanical improvements and share the importance of having these projects completed

 4.  Economic Restructuring strengthens a community's existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying its economic base. The Main Street program helps sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today's consumers' needs. Converting unused or underused property or space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district. The ER committee focuses on business retention, expansion and recruitment activities, and development of financing tools and provides training opportunities to businesses.

·         Assist existing businesses with gathering information pertinent to the local and regional market

·         Identify opportunities to retain existing businesses and provide areas for expansion

·         Offer continuing training opportunities