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Downtown Strategic Plans
Utilizing our prior experience working as practitioners in the field, we support downtown management organizations in developing tactical strategic plans to guide their evolution, blending local aspirations with national best practices. Selected project examples are featured below.
Flint, Michigan
City of Flint Downtown Development Authority (2023): PUMA completed a strategic plan for the City of Flint DDA to guide the organization’s evolution over the next five years. Recommendations are guided by several core principles, including an emphasis on making downtown inclusive and relevant; positioning the downtown as a cultural and entertainment hub; prioritizing transformative investments in public space and housing; and creating opportunities for next generation entrepreneurs and those historically excluded from business and property ownership. The plan provides a detailed framework for near-term program improvements, long-term considerations for enhancing the DDA’s impact and financial position.
Cleveland, Ohio
Downtown Cleveland Alliance (2022): P.U.M.A. was engaged by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) to lead an organizational strategic planning effort to guide DCA’s evolution through Covid-19 recovery and over the next five years. The resulting DCA Strategic Plan responds to the top priorities from more than 1,100 stakeholders that were engaged in the planning process. The Plan offers strategic pivots to refresh the organization’s business model, a revised mission and vision, a new set of core values, goals and strategies, tactical recommendations on how to streamline and reorganize DCA programs and operations, and to create pathways to welcome the next generation of leadership moving forward.
Washington, D.C.
Golden Triangle BID (2022): After initially developing a strategic plan for the Golden Triangle BID in 2016 – a premier urban district in the heart of Washington, D.C. – P.U.M.A. was again engaged to update the organization's strategic plan in 2021-2022. An office-centric district, much of our planning effort focused on helping them adapt to post-pandemic realities for the neighborhood. The plan utilized and updated an existing framework with goals organized into three categories: core, vibrancy, and transformative.
Lynchburg, Virginia
Strategic Plan Update for Downtown Lynchburg (2022): P.U.M.A. was hired by the Downtown Lynchburg Association to craft this plan, which was informed by input from staff, board of directors, a project working group, and City leadership. Community feedback, current market trends, COVID-19 pandemic impacts, and best practices from comparable downtown markets were also collected and analyzed. A pathway to a stronger and more sustainably-funded organization was created, including recommendations for increased partnership with the City, better utilization of current 501(c)3, and BID creation.
Long Beach, California
Downtown Long Beach Strategic Plan (2021): The Downtown Long Beach Alliance hired P.U.M.A. to refresh its mission, goals, and objectives, organizational culture, and operations. Plan priorities were developed with input from more than 550 downtown stakeholders, plus an evaluation of the local office and retail markets. The plan informed the subsequent business improvement district renewal efforts with support given to increased funding for clean and safe services and a new in-house mental health liaison, plus resources for economic development, marketing, and beautification.
Tucson, Arizona
Strategic Plan for the Downtown Tucson Partnership (2021): P.U.M.A. created a strategic plan to guide Downtown Tucson’s evolution and enhance its value proposition over the next five years. The plan was informed by stakeholder input, current market trends, impacts of COVID-19, and best practices from downtown organizations across the country. Priorities were identified, including improved outreach services, storefront activation and occupancy, enhanced public space management, and advanced marketing.
Denver, Colorado
Blueprint for Organizational Alignment (2021): P.U.M.A. facilitated a process for three civic organizations in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood - Cherry Creek North BID, Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce, and Cherry Creek Area Business Alliance - to unite under a new umbrella structure. The strategic alignment leverages the individual organizations’ energy and resources, and collective ability to influence policies that impact the area's prosperity and quality of life. The new organizational approach incorporated findings from national best practices research and local role models.
Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair Center BID Strategic Plan (2021): The Montclair Center BID hired P.U.M.A. to develop a strategic plan that identifies organizational priorities for economic recovery and beyond. The plan was informed by extensive stakeholder and community engagement, best practice research, and market analysis. The plan’s comprehensive framework included five goals and corresponding objectives, with near- and long-term tactics to ensure Montclair Center BID is responsive to its diverse stakeholder needs and supports a diverse, vibrant, and thriving district.
Boulder, Colorado
Downtown Boulder Foundation Strategic Plan (2020): After recommending that Downtown Boulder create a 501(c)3 foundation affiliate in 2017, P.U.M.A. was hired to support an organizational refresh in order to better align the foundation with civic priorities. Through outreach to the organization’s leadership, interviews with community members, and best practices research from other BID foundations, a framework was presented with a new vision statement, revised mission, and defined areas of focus. New prioritized strategies include investing in cultural experiences, community connections, and planning for the future of downtown.
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading Downtown Improvement District Strategic Plan (2020): P.U.M.A. facilitated a strategic planning process in advance of the Reading DID’s reauthorization campaign. The DID was found to be an important but underutilized and under-funded tool. Recommendations included tactics to ensure consistent clean & safe services, strengthen place-enhancement and economic development initiatives, and celebrate the city’s diverse Latino population. The plan proposed a combination of a gradual assessment increases, renewed contributions from tax-exempt properties, and clearly defined partnerships between the DID, the City, and other downtown organizations.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Downtown Tulsa Strategic Plan (2019-2020): P.U.M.A. was hired by the City of Tulsa to bring the downtown BID, which was managed by a City department, in line with national best practices. The strategic planning process, which received input from nearly 4,000 stakeholders, laid the groundwork for a new state-of-the-art downtown management organization. The nonprofit, Downtown Tulsa Partnership, will provide maximum accountability, diversified revenue, and a unified champion for downtown.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Downtown Chapel Hill Strategic Plan (2020): The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership (CHDP) hired P.U.M.A. to create a new organizational strategic plan to guide its evolution over the next five to seven years. The strategic plan provides the CHDP with a clear vision and mission, goals and objectives, achievable tactics, and a new organizational structure capable of delivering on the expectations set forth in the plan. The plan also offers a five-year roadmap for growing the CHDP’s budget.
Santa Cruz, California
Downtown Santa Cruz Strategic Plan (2020): P.U.M.A. was hired by the City of Santa Cruz to evaluate two downtown management entities, the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz and the Downtown Management Corporation. P.U.M.A. developed recommendations and scenarios to address current conditions in downtown. Following an evaluation of alternatives, a preferred scenario was selected, which was to dissolve the two entities and create one new property-based business improvement district.
Hollywood, California
Hollywood Strategic Plan (2019): The renewal and expansion of the Hollywood Entertainment District (HED) prompted strategic planning to align the priorities of the organization with the area’s evolving landscape and most pressing needs. P.U.M.A. assisted in engaging over 900 stakeholders and identifying top priorities over the next five years. The outcome was a strategic plan that provides an updated vision and mission, measurable goals and objectives, and a refreshed organizational structure.
Durham, North Carolina
Strategic Plan (2019): P.U.M.A. worked with Downtown Durham Inc. to create a new strategic plan. The plan was informed by input from over 1,000 stakeholders and included a detailed downtown market assessment and best practice research from other downtown management organizations. The plan offered clear vision and mission statements, measurable goals and objectives, and a new organizational structure focused on economic development, cleanliness, safety and enhancement of public space and more.
Nassau, Bahamas
Downtown Nassau Commission Business Plan (2018): P.U.M.A. was selected by the Downtown Nassau Commission (DNC) to create a business plan for a new downtown management organization. Building off work we completed in 2009, the 2018 plan defined organizational goals and structures plus an implementable work program, which included six core goal areas: clean and safe; advocacy and leadership; arts and heritage; streetscape and aesthetics; business support and marketing; and parking and vehicle management.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Downtown Oklahoma City (2018): The Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership and Business Improvement District have been P.U.M.A. clients for two decades. We helped to create OKC’s downtown BID in 1999, then its renewal in 2008. In response to the City’s physical and economic transformation, P.U.M.A. was reengaged in 2018 to assist with strategic planning. The new plan realigned their priorities, and defined its role in community-building and incubating the next generation of downtown leadership.
Dallas, Texas
Uptown Dallas Strategic Plan (2017): Uptown Dallas, Inc. (UDI) hired P.U.M.A. to develop a strategic plan for UDI and the Uptown Public Improvement District (UPID). The process leveraged input from Uptown stakeholders by way of interviews, focus groups, and an online survey. P.U.M.A. identified and provided priority action items to address the top concerns in the district, resulting in a plan that reflects the evolving and maturing organization and sets a course for the future.
Pasadena, California
Old Pasadena Strategic Plan 2017: P.U.M.A. evaluated current and future market dynamics, sought community-wide goals, and developed internal organizational recommendations. The resulting strategic plan centered around five major conclusions: adding appeal to remain competitive; capitalizing on its unique network of alleys and parks; initiating a new focus on place-making and activation of public spaces; targeting retail efforts on one-of-a-kind concepts; and continuing to make parking easier.
Parker, Colorado
P3 Strategic Plan (2017): P.U.M.A. was engaged to develop a strategic plan for Partnering for Parker’s Progress (P3), the town’s urban renewal authority. Through an 8-month planning process, P.U.M.A. developed context-sensitive recommendations that fit Parker’s community character and the organization’s objectives. The plan established a clear vision and recommendations for the organization as a whole and identified unique activities and projects for Parker’s three urban renewal districts.
Washington, DC
Golden Triangle Business Improvement District Strategic Plan (2017): P.U.M.A. worked with the BID to craft a new strategic plan to guide the organization for the next seven years. Significant stakeholder outreach was employed, including one-on-one meetings, focus groups, online surveys and leadership workshops. The plan recommended strategies to bolster the BID’s core operations, maintain its competitiveness among DC markets and amplify its brand as an inviting and vibrant destination.
Sioux City, Iowa
Downtown Sioux City Organizational Strategic Plan (2016): P.U.M.A. prepared an organizational strategic plan to guide Downtown Partners through the next 5- to 7-year development cycle. The process included extensive stakeholder outreach, assessment of market conditions and identified opportunities arising from P.U.M.A.’s Global Trends Report. The resulting strategic plan provided a program, committee and budget framework focused on strengthening downtown’s economy, environment and community.
Norfolk, Virginia
Downtown Strategic Plan (2015): P.U.M.A. worked with the Downtown Norfolk Council (DNC) to develop a plan that considered current market dynamics and community goals for downtown. Outreach efforts identified initiatives in three areas: “Always Active,” “Innovation Hub,” and “Pedestrians First.” The plan identified improvements, policies, and funding options to guide the DNC. P.U.M.A. prepared an internal document showing organizational adjustments and funding filters to optimize implementation.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
DID Strategic Plan (2015): Five years after establishing its downtown improvement district (DID), P.U.M.A. was retained to formally evaluate it. We reviewed state legislation, researched comparable districts, and looked at the organization’s structure, assessment methodology, governance and operations. We found that while the structure was sound, the DID needed to adapt to market changes. P.U.M.A. was subsequently retained to draft a strategic plan to guide the DID through the next 5-7 years.
Miami, Florida
Strategic Plan (2013): With new funding challenges and a desire to develop a stronger, more independent organization, the Downtown Miami Partnership hired P.U.M.A. to assist in creating a new plan and vision. External and internal assessments were performed by meeting with stakeholders, facilitating roundtables and talking with board members. We reviewed and assessed internal documents, and led a board workshop to discuss preliminary findings, possible emphasis areas and alternate resources.
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