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Vibrant Streets is an initiative created to encourage successul neighborhood retail environments rom

the grassroots up. The ocus o the program is to give neighborhoods the tools to create a Vibrant Street

o their own, regardless o population, ethnic composition, location, income, or budget.

The Vibrant Streets Toolkit can be used by retailers, businesses, merchants associations, government

agencies, neighborhoods, and community groups to make incremental, measured improvements in their

commercial districts to attract shops and restaurants.

Vibrant Streets originated rom a study completed by Streetsense o Bethesda, Maryland, in April 2012.

Announced by Mayor Vincent Gray, the DC Vibrant Retail Streets Toolkit became the oundation or all o

the research that has taken place to date. At the presentation o the Toolkit, Harriet Tregoning, Director

o D.C.s Oce o Planning, stated, The District o Columbia has all the ingredients to be an extraordinary

retail city. The Vibrant Retail Streets Toolkit provides the ramework to help achieve this vision.

Following the release o the DC Toolkit, a Vibrant Streets website was created, 14 Vibrant Streets

webinars drew over 350 participants rom almost 300 communities, and the initiative's ounders, Heather

Arnold and James McCandless, were invited to speak in New Orleans, LA; Philadelphia, PA; Richmond,

VA; and Washington, DC.

Vibrant Streets objectives:

VIBRANT STREETS

To help communities grow economically by promoting business and development, creating jobs,

expanding their tax base, increasing property values, and improving quality o lie;

To create a point o intersection or the residents, workorce, visitors, and students o a

community and through that intersection a sense o investment in each other and well-being or

one another;

To educate communities about the undamental aspects o retail business operations and

site-selection decision-making;

To oster physical and social connections between Vibrant Streets retailers and

surrounding residents; and

To give neighborhoods the necessary tools to become change-agents and advocates or the type

o market-appropriate retail they desire.

In 2012, the International Downtown Association awarded Vibrant Streets a Downtown Merit Award or

its contributions to research in the feld o downtown revitalization.

VIBRANT STREETS

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THE STEPS DEFINED:

MANAGED: A Vibrant Street needs a single entity (i.e., a non-proft organization, a business improvement district,

a majority property owner, a merchants association) to organize, represent, and oversee interests that impact the

entire street.

RETAIL-APPROPRIATE: Demand or retail uses in a Vibrant Street environment must exist to successully sustain

stores, eateries, and services. Additionally, retail uses have basic architectural, dimensional, and utility requirementsthat must be met. Finally, retailers have the best opportunities to thrive when surrounded by other retailers.

MIXED: The mix o retail establishments on a Vibrant Street should correspond to its customer bases retail needs.

CHAMPIONED: Retailers make signifcant personal or corporate investments in their establishments. They are more

willing to make a commitment where another public or private entity has made a similar investment.

ANCHORED: The most notable Vibrant Streets are integrated into the community that surrounds them. Anchoring

a retail district with a civic or cultural use or activity creates additional exposure or commercial establishments, but

also provides non-commercial, complementary activity along the street.

WALKABLE: The most reliable customer base or any retailer is the surrounding community (residents or members

o the workorce). A walkable, connected street increases the retailers ability to capture reliable, regular sales.

UNIFIED: Creating an authentic brand or reason to be or a Vibrant Street draws customers can easily and more

oten to an experience, rather than to individual establishments.

VIBRANT STREETS

TOOLKIT

VIBRANT STREETS

TOOLKIT

MANAGED RETAIL-APPROPRIATE MIXED SAFE

CHAMPIONED ANCHORED WALKABLE UNIFIED