Main Street, South Carolina Manager Beppie LeGrand presented an overview of the 45-page baseline assessment for Main Street, Kingstree to town council May 21. Throughout her presentation she stressed that this will be a long-term, ongoing process.
The assessment encourages promotion to position downtown as the heart-and-soul of the community, providing a reason for residents, as well as tourists, to go downtown for both commercial and recreational reasons. To help establish this link, the local Main Street director should organize regular meetings with other organizations and with retail/service businesses to help them find ways to develop a strong campaign for year-round local shopping and to integrate downtown businesses into special events. The assessment urges Kingstree to develop a distinct "brand" and to use it consistently across all promotions.
Main Street, Kingstree should evaluate all current festivals and events to determine how they are perceived and if they are meeting expected goals before planning new events. An example given of the kind of event that would play to the town's strengths was working with hunters and fishermen to create a wildlife cooking competition that would incorporate "how-to" demonstrations on cooking wild game.
The report notes, "Black River is a valuable natural resource and provides many opportunities for special events and recreation. This is an asset that should be developed for use and promotion as soon as possible." A strong recommendation was made to develop a master plan for using Black River to the town's advantage.
In looking at economic vitality, the report notes there are 169 buildings in the Main Street District, which covers about 130 acres, with an absentee ownership rate of about 54 percent. According to town records, 79 retail, service-oriented, and professional businesses operate in the district. Many of these buildings appear to be under-utilized. The report suggests the town consider focusing its immediate efforts on a smaller district, roughly encompassing the same area designated on the National Register of Historic Places as the Kingstree Historic District. "This manageable 20-acre area can serve as a smaller area of initial focus from which the revitalization of the entire district may be effectuated," the report states.
In addressing parking, the report notes that the Town of Kingstree has secured funding to improve the downtown parking lot. The town will soon solicit bids for this project. The report also notes that heavy commercial truck traffic on Main and Longstreet streets poses a challenge for redevelopment, but also notes that a truck route and a new streetscape design are in the planning stages.
According to the report, the town should identify marketing opportunities and pursue a way to expand those opportunities so that both new and existing businesses can profit from them. A Retail Market Assessment, Branding and Tourism Promotion Plan would provide the town with strategies for marketing Kingstree to tourists and provide specific recommendations for downtown development projects and initiatives and how to implement them.
One strategy suggested would include developing housing options in the commercial district as a way of generating traffic downtown during evenings and weekends, providing an impetus for businesses and restaurants to stay open later at night and on weekends. Further, the assessment suggests that the town should plan more public activities and events downtown during these times to foster the idea that Kingstree's Main Street District is family-friendly.
The report encourages town council to establish economic development policies that provide incentives for renovation of existing buildings and new construction on empty lots. There are several federal and state historic preservation tax credits that are available, and the town should be able to guide building owners and developers to the programs that best fit their needs through a comprehensive incentives package. Developing a database of buildings in the Main Street District, along with information on the incentives for which each building qualifies, is a major component needed to establish the economic vitality of the town. The report also suggests that the town maintain a list of developers who have successfully completed renovations in other areas of the state by using incentives and tax credits and approach them about projects in downtown Kingstree.
The design component of the plan encourages "comprehensive visual improvements through good design that are compatible with historic features, and, therefore maintain the integrity of the downtown." Appearance is important as it is the first impression that visitors get and, as such, shapes their perceptions of Kingstree. The assessment notes there are many inexpensive ways to dress up windows of empty buildings to add visual interest to downtown. It also suggests that the town may want to concentrate efforts on incremental facade improvements, such as one year concentrating on awnings, while the next year working to upgrade windows. Colorful Adirondack chairs, umbrellas, bistro tables, and flowers were also suggested as ways the town could use bright colors to bring energy to the downtown area.
The baseline assessment encourages the town to create a bold downtown master plan, using many visual components to express a clear vision for the future. This would include plans for preservation of existing building, integrating new construction, and developing a walking/bike trail to promote community connectedness. Beppie LeGrand will meet with the Main Street Committee on June 7 to begin prioritizing actions to put the recommendations in the assessment to use.
Main Street, Kingstree Director William Freeman said after the presentation he is excited to have the direction and support of Main Street, South Carolina. "We are hopeful and very driven to see this baseline assessment come to fruition," he said. "Our goal is to make Kingstree better not only for our future but also for future generations."
The rebranding of Kingstree and better utilizing the river caught Mayor Darren Tisdale's attention. "These are both vital to the town, and we need to make sure we make the right decisions as we move forward," he said.
Town Manager Richard Treme feels positive about the assessment. "We need to remember this is a process, and it won't all happen overnight," he said. "We need to stay with the plan and not get discouraged when we hit bumps in the road. It will take all of us working together, but this is a vehicle, I believe, we can use to take us into the future."
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Kingstree Live event, scheduled for this Friday, June 1 from 6-10 p.m. at Black River has been moved to the Depot because of rising water at Gilland Park. The Palmetto Dance Band, with Williamburg County native Hugh Odom on the bass, will provide entertainment. See you at the Depot.
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