“Downtown Delray Beach DDA partners with the City of Delray Beach by creating a tool that will make being a business owner with the downtown a little bit easier.”
Media Release: (Delray Beach, April 15, 2014): In partnership with the City of Delray Beach, the Downtown Development Authority produces The Practical Guide for Downtown Businesses. This booklet is an easy-to-navigate, current, and organized view of the many city ordinances, downtown parking areas, security and safety programs. The booklet has over 30 pages of important to know details that are pertinent to the Downtown, and the downtown business owners, including ways to get involved with Delray Beach organizations and the DDA.
The Practical Guide is an updated reproduction of a similar booklet that was produced by theDDA, the City and the Atlantic Avenue Merchant Association in 2002. “We are proud to be a part of this very important project, as the Practical Guide for Downtown Businesses is a resource for new and existing business owners and managers, providing a simple understanding of what the rules and regulations are within the Downtown Delray Beach area,” expresses Robert Barcinski, Assistant City Manager, Delray Beach, Florida.
This handbook creation was collaborative project between the DDA team and the City staff that contains very useful and diverse information that is now available a simple to navigate, reference format. Information such as who is responsible for the decorative lights, signage regulations and sidewalk cleaning is now available at the users fingertips. There are also sections that cover business safety, customer service, where to park and the importance of customer parking, and most of all ways the businesses can get involved in programs provided by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
This project has been funded fully by the Downtown Development Authority as part of the Economic Development area of focus for the organization. As a special taxing authority, theDDA is in place to enhance and stimulate growth within the district through activities and programs such as the Practical Guide. “The goal of the project is that by keeping the businesses informed and educated on the rules and regulations, Downtown Delray Beach will continue to be a thriving successful place to live, invest and work,” says Marjorie Ferrer, Executive Director, Delray Beach DDA.
The Practical Guide books are being hand delivered to each individual business with the district beginning with the on street retail and restaurant businesses. Each business owner or general manager will be responsible for signing for receipt of the guide. The Guide will also be given to new businesses as they receive their business license with the City. TheDDA has also created an online flip book version of the guide available on the DDA website at www.downtowndelraybeach.com in a flipbook styleissuu.com/maasmedia/docs/practicalguidetodowntown
“We are very excited to have the Practical Guide - it is extremely helpful as a small business owner to have all the necessary rules and information in one area as a go to guide, says David Cook, owner Hand’s and Co-Chair of the Downtown Merchants Association. “We are very busy and this will help to navigate these waters in Downtown Delray a little easier every day.”
About the Downtown Development Authority: For the past 43 years, the Downtown Development Authority has assisted in successfully branding Delray Beach as the Village by the Sea. The Delray Beach DDA was created by Resolution 9-71, which became law on March 22, 1971, as a dependent district of the City of Delray Beach.
“The DDA Mission is to enhance and stimulate balanced economic growth through position marketing activities that engage Downtown businesses, residents and visitors while creating a clean, safe, physical and experiential place to live, work and invest.”
The main areas of involvement in downtown include: Marketing and Promotions; Economic development programs; Place Making within the DDA boundaries. The DDA also works closely with merchants to develop seasonal retail awareness campaigns to generate traffic sales and has created a powerful website www.downtowndelraybeach.com and Facebooksite that attracts thousands of visits weekly.
MEDIA CONTACT: Laura Simon, Associate Director, Downtown Development Authority (561) 243-1077 or email lsimon@downtowndelraybeach.com