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ECONOMIC VITALITY GROW

DDA District Resources                                              Downtown Merchant & Business Association

Social Connection Newsletter                                        •	 A forum for the Downtown businesses to collaborate on
                                                                        programs, communicate amongst the organization and
Produced three six–page newsletters with 1,000 printed and              community, and be a collective voice that advocates for
hand–delivered for each issue.                                          activities that promote the retention and smart growth of the
                                                                        Downtown business community.
Annual Report
                                                                    •	 This group consists of restaurants, business, and retail owners
Produced the DDA Annual Report for 2015–2016, and provided              or operators in the DDA district.
complimentary copies to property and business owners within
the District as well as community partners.                         •	 The DDA acts as the administrator to the Downtown Merchant
                                                                        & Business Association by coordinating the meeting and
A Practical Guide for Downtown Delray Beach                             event planning details, communications and collaborating
Businesses                                                              on projects.

A complimentary guide produced by the DDA to provide an             May 2017
understanding of all of the City’s regulations and rules to be
followed by each business to ensure a clean, safe and vibrant       •	 We ♥ Small Biz Month is an initiative led by the Office of
Downtown.                                                               Economic Development in partnership with the DDA and City
                                                                        of Delray Beach organizations.
Property & Business Owner Town Hall Session
                                                                    •	 Participated in Central Business District Business Walk
Planned, executed and hosted the meeting on Wednesday, April            spearheaded by OED and visited over 200 businesses
19, 2017 at the Delray Beach Marriott. Robert J. Gibbs, AICP,           within the District core.
ASLA, CNU–A, President, Gibbs Planning Group presented
“New Trends in Urban Retail Planning and Development” and           Business Marketing Programs
Ryan Boylston, Board Chairman presented an overview of the
DDA’s 2016/2017 initiatives, followed by a Q & A with the           Successfully implemented and executed Marketing programs
audience. To view Robert J. Gibbs presentation, please              focused on shopping, small business, art & culture, dining and
visit DowntownDelrayBeach.com/TownHall2017.                         holidays. All programs produced involved the merchants and
                                                                    were created to drive traffic to and promote the Downtown
Downtown Market Study & Shopability Study                           businesses. The Programs included: First Friday Art Walk, Small
                                                                    Business Saturday, Delray Beach Fashion Week, Savor the
The DDA hired Robert Gibbs of Gibbs Planning Group in June          Avenue, Dine Out Downtown Delray Restaurant Week, and
2017 to conduct a Downtown Market Study and provide a               Delray Orchid Giveaway in honor of Mother’s Day.
Shopability Study for the Downtown District. The study is
intended to allow the DDA, City, and Downtown merchants             Business Development
and businesses to gain an understanding of the types of retail
businesses that are likely to be supportable in the study area      The DDA District has seen significant changes during the last year
which is the entire DDA district, both presently and during the     with new merchants and businesses, relocations, renovations
next five years. The research portion of the project was launched,  and expansions, apartments and condominiums. This growth is
and reports are to be completed by March 2018.                      instrumental to the Downtown and to the community in general.
                                                                    It increased employment opportunities with over 230 new jobs,
Economic Development Grants                                         enhanced our area for visitors and residents, and contributed to
                                                                    our local economy.
Provided financial support through a grant process to these         •	 Supported the opening, expansion or relocation of 57
organizations in the District to further their mission in concert
with DDA objectives.                                                    businesses within the Downtown District.
                                                                    •	 Attended and coordinated meetings with Downtown
     $5,000 to WARC for branding
    $30,000 to DBMC for Christmas Tree                                  developers, property and business owners and potential
                                                                        new businesses looking for retail space and property for
     $5,000 to PGAD for marketing program                               purchase, and provided key data and information regarding
                             and maintenance of public art              the vibrancy of Downtown.
                                                                    •	 Created a Downtown Delray Beach Development Brochure,
                                                                        including the latest information on two publicly funded and
                                                                        19 private development projects with an estimated 2.07
                                                                        million square feet of mixed–use development throughout
                                                                        Downtown.

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