Kissimmee Main Street Committees
Strategic Plans
• Make downtown Kissimmee the premiere
arts and culture center of
Osceola County
• Create a year-round destination, serving
a balance of visitors and residents
• Encourage a pedestrian oriented
downtown with a mix of prosperous
businesses; retail and restaurants
• Make existing historic commercial and
residential structures economically viable
through preservation and
restoration
• Promotions • Economic Restructuring • Design • Organization
Promotions
Goals
Creating and marketing a positive image of downtown through special events, retail sales, effective advertising, and public relations.
• Host six community events in Toho Square
• Promote downtown through six retail promotion events
• Implement “Show Us Your Produce” campaign in partnership with the Farmers Market
Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the Main Street district. By marketing a district's unique characteristics to residents, investors, business owners, and visitors, an effective promotional strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers. These activities improve consumer and investor confidence in the district and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area.
Economic Restructuring
Goals
Improving the economic base of downtown by strengthening existing businesses, recruiting new businesses, and filling vacancies.
• Finalize Design District Brochure
• Finalize business recruitment flyer
• Recruit one business downtown
• Distribute $7,000 in New Business Start up Grants
• Distribute $5,000 in Interior Construction/Design Assistance
• Establish a quarterly downtown informational email to be distributed to realtors
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 commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district.
Kissimmee Economic Analysis
Prepared by: Frank DeMarchi
Design
Goals
Encouraging quality signage, building rehabilitation, public improvements, and window displays to improve the appearance of downtown.
• Place 12 historic markers throughout the downtown
• Maintain beautification of potted plants
• Create downtown historic overlay district
• Establish a design for wayfinding
• Create a traveling display for vacant windows
• Increase merchant participation in “Broadways Best” window display contest
• Increase Kissimmee Sculpture Experience to 15 pieces
• Distribute $2,500 in Façade Design Assistance
Design involves enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by capitalizing on its best assets — such as historic buildings and pedestrian-oriented streets. 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. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the commercial district, enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, and long-term planning.
Organization
Goals
Working with public and private sector community leaders to develop consensus and coordinate resources to revitalize downtown.
• Increase membership by 50%
• Create partnerships with other organizations for volunteers
• Reestablish a historic home tour
• Promote Kissimmee Main Street with an information table at community events
Organization involves getting everyone working toward the same goal and assembling the appropriate human and financial resources to implement a Main Street revitalization program. A governing board and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of the volunteer-driven program. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a paid program director as well. This structure not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders.