TOP REASONS TO DEVELOP DOWNTOWN

SENDING THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO INVESTORSWITH THE CITY, CITIZENS & DEVELOPER STANDING UNITED IN DOING WHAT IT TAKES TO GET DOWNTOWN GOING IT SEND A STRONG MESSAGE TO INVESTORS THAT BRISTOL IS A PLACE TO PUT THEIR MONEY

• If you aren’t moving forward you’re moving backward. Nothing ever stays the same. Bristol has a chance to move forward in a big way! Mixed signals only provides losing results. Now is the time to become what we’ve always wanted!

UNITY = RIGHT MESSAGE =

INVESTMENT =

VIBRANCY!

CREATING A PLACE FOR YOUTH & BOOMERS

• Vital, walkable experience • New achievable housing options • Opportunity for youth to stay

and grow into community & ‘graduate’ into for-sale homes

• Keeps young people & families

• No need to drive everywhere

• No shoveling snow, mowing grass

• An enjoyable amenity filled life!

Retirees

BRISTOL IS MISSING A SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MARKET. LET’S CREATE THE WALKABLE EXPERIENCE THEY CRAVE!

Youth

7 Businesses Opened since 2011! • Bare Bones • Billiards • Barley Vine • People’s Marketplace • Firefly Brewing Co • Artist Tree Tea House • 457 Mason Jar (rebrand)

2 Others Inspired to Open!

• Dawn’s Deli

• Just Flow Fun - Flow Arts Studio

ENTREPRENEURS SEE AN EXCITING VISION, A REASON TO INVEST, AND WILL WANT TO BE PART OF IT!

16 Letters of Interest for Depot Sq.!

IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE!

INSPIRING BUSINESS

EMPLOYERS ARE CLAMORING FOR IT!

• Less than 25% of ESPN’s nearly 4,000 employees live in Bristol. We can change that!

• A walkable downtown provides a 24/7 lifestyle that workforces desire & take advantage of or they will find the experience elsewhere

• A vibrant downtown is attractive to new businesses who value quality of life for employees

FROM WHITE TO BLUE COLLARS, TOP EMPLOYERS WANT A REVITALIZED DOWNTOWN!

A VITAL DOWNTOWN OF UTMOST IMPORTANT TO BRISTOL’S BRAND

!CONVERSATIONS HIGHLIGHTED THE LARGE POPULATION THAT

COMMUTES INTO BRISTOL FROM NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES TO WORK AT OUR WHITE-COLLAR

JOBS HOWEVER, THEIR PREFERENCE IS TO LIVE IN OTHER AREAS, WHERE

HOUSING IS NEWER OR MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR

LIFESTYLES. 

BRANDING FIRM NORTH STAR SAYS CREATING A WALKABLE DOWNTOWN IS THE NUMBER ONE OPPORTUNITY FOR BRISTOL!

“Downtown redevelopment is key. Once the downtown area is

developed, young professionals and families can work and live there in the

style many are interested in.”

ONCE STARTED, FUTURE DEVELOPMENT WILL SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE

GETTING DEVELOPMENT GOING IS CRITICAL IN PROVING THE MARKET EXISTS FOR NEW RETAIL & RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN BRISTOL

• Bristol currently has no new urban retail or residential product. By setting a precedent that Bristol can support new and modern product, conventional financing opens up for subsequent phases and inspired adjacent developments, i.e. “The Domino Effect”

People living downtown results in… MORE RETAIL!! PLUS support for retailers trying to make it now

TOP URBAN RETAIL ECONOMICS EXPERTS AGREE…

RETAIL FOLLOWS ROOFTOPS!

GETTING STARTED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES DOWNTOWN’S LOOK!

NOBODY WANTS TO SEE AN EMPTY PARKING LOT WITH WEEDS AND DUST. STARTING PHASE I GREATLY CHANGES THE LOOK & FEEL DOWNTOWN!

• Development means improved aesthetics! • New Green space for programming & events! • A more attractive downtown inspires living, frequenting, & setting up a business! • We are sending the right message that Bristol is progressive, open for business,

and ready to move forward in a big way!

ECONOMIC & TAX BENEFITS FOR THE CITY OF BRISTOLTHE VISION FOR DEPOT SQUARE IS SIMPLE: BECOME A GIANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENGINE BY TURNING DOWNTOWN INTO A DESIRABLE PLACE!

• By saying YES to development, we are really saying YES to incredible returns on our investment with a vision that can keep feeding Bristol positive gains in perpetuity! (See figures above)

RISING TIDES RAISE ALL SHIPS!DEVELOPING A CATALYST SITE LIKE DEPOT SQUARE WILL MAKE DISINVESTED PROPERTIES NEARBY THE MOST DESIRED PLACES TO INVEST WITH THE HIGHEST ROI’S!

• With Depot Square moving forward places like the West End will become MAJOR investment opportunities for investors looking to scoop up properties on the cheap and transform them with the anticipation of skyrocketing land values. It would be like purchasing Apple stock in 1997.

DESIRABLE LIVING OPTIONS MEANS DOWNTOWN VITALITYTHINK OF ANY SUCCESSFUL DOWNTOWN. WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON? A CRITICAL MASS OF PEOPLE LIVING THERE. THESE FOLKS SUPPORT RETAIL, VITALITY, AND SAFETY IN THE AREA! AND AND LET’S FACE IT, 100 YEAR OLD 3-FAMILY BUILDINGS AREN’T FOR EVERYONE!

• TIDBIT:For every 100 new apt units that means 150 new people, add in visiting friends & family and that’s 300-500 new downtown patrons!

QUALITY OF RENTERS IMPROVES IN AREACURRENT LANDLORDS HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME ATTRACTING QUALITY TENANTS BECAUSE THERE IS LITTLE IN THE AREA TO EXCITE TENANTS WITH. ONCE DEPOT SQUARE GETS GOING, LANDLORDS WILL HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO SELL TENANTS ON!

• Tenants with discretionary spending income want to be where there is an exciting walkable experience outside their door. A developed

Depot Square allows landlords to attract these kinds of tenants

because of a vibrant experience.

QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVES FOR THOSE IN AREANEW DEVELOPMENT WILL REALLY RATCHET UP AN EXPERIENCE THAT EXCITES CURRENT RESIDENTS, KEEPS DOLLARS LOCAL, AND RAISES PROPERTY VALUES FOR HOMEOWNERS

• By creating a local experience, people have many more reasons to stay in town, spend their money, as well as attracting out of towners to

visit and spend their dollars too!

FEET ON THE STREET CREATES SAFETYA CRITICAL MASS OF GOOD PEOPLE LIVING DOWNTOWN ALWAYS POPULATING THE ENVIRONMENT, CREATES THE SINGLE GREATEST DETERRENT TO CRIME.

Sketchy people do not feel safe doing something uncouth in front of many decent folks. By having “feet on the street”, it creates a

watchdog feeling on every corner.

MIXED-USE: A PROVEN DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR DOWNTOWNS

THE BEST DOWNTOWNS ARE MIXED-USE. WHEN DOWNTOWNS ARE WEAK IN LIVING, RETAIL, OFFICE, OR PUBLIC SPACES, YOUR WHOLE DOWNTOWN SUFFERS.

• Dubuque, Iowa

• Roanoke, Virginia

• Greenville, South Carolina

• Population: 58,000 • ISSUE: Loss of manufacturing jobs, depressed downtown • Added 1000 units of residential, spurring arts, business,

IBM moved headquarters to town, and region gained 4,900 new jobs

• Population: 97,000 • ISSUE: Lack of downtown residents • Added 1200 residential units, spurring area businesses

and 25 restaurants to move into a 10 block area

• Population: 61,000 • ISSUE: Loss of retailers, blight, poor walkable experience • Improved streetscapes, public/private partnership mixed-use

projects revitalized districts & inspired private investment

HELP US CREATE A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN

rising!bristol .COM