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2013 Report

Dear SID Member:

We are pleased to present to you our 2013 Annual Report for the Downtown Can-ton Special Improvement (SID). The report highlights our accomplishments for the 16th full year of operation. Overall, it was a very successful year for your SID. Stark State College committed to locate an energy themed student campus in our downtown. We look forward to the positive effect Stark State College will have on our downtown community. We were successful in providing an update to our 2003 Downtown Master Plan. Our consultant, czb Consulting, provided us with an insightful plan that will provide the needed road map for the future of our center city. In addition, the Downtown Canton Land Bank took a leadership role in es-tablishing new market rate housing in our downtown. This completed apartment project came about as the result of an SID lead subcommittee on downtown living. In addition, staff continued to emphasize the importance of downtown aesthetics and marketing, and a number of new businesses joined our center city.

We appreciate all of the support we receive from our partners, the City of Canton, the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and ArtsinStark. Thanks also to our Board of Directors and property owners for their counsel, financial support and ideas. We look forward to continued success in revitalizing our downtown and creating value for our property owners.

Sincerely,

David T. BeuleChairman of the Board

Michael P. GillPresident

Mike Gill andAnnette Rosenberger

Photo by Michael Barath

Awards created by artist su nimon

Mission StatementThe Downtown Canton Special Improvement District is a nonprofit corporation that provides programming to preserve the economic well being of downtown Canton. The SID is dedicated to preserving the aesthetic, architectural, and historic character of the downtown area. The organization is funded by special assessments on downtown property owners.

Each year, the SID Board recognizes

downtown organizations that are making a

significant contribution to the revitalization of

our city by presenting these businesses with

a SID Award. This year, there are 12 awards as

shown on the following pages. The SID Board

applauds their commitment & investment in

downtown Canton.

2013AnnualAwards

DowntownColor DowntownThe beautification of the center city continued with the planting of the 50-plus flower beds downtown. For the tenth year, volunteers donated their time and efforts to make downtown look its best throughout the summer.

BannersPromoting upcoming events, celebrating the seasons and rais-ing awareness of civic and cultural organizations in the SID, ban-ners line and decorate the streets. The SID approves and coor-dinates the placement of banners throughout downtown with the City. New banners this year included new downtown promotional banners and new Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival banners.

SecurityIncreased police presence is added in the downtown areas Monday through Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m. from November through March. This additional security cruises the center city, and walks among the restaurants and bars.

Architectural Review BoardTo preserve and protect the historical, cultural and architectural integrity of downtown, an Architectural Review Board was created in 2005. This Board has reviewed 16 projects so far this year.

GumbusterOur resident Gumbuster, Herman Horner, continues to operate the Gum-buster Gumcart in downtown Canton during the summer and early fall. Using a solution that is entirely safe for the environment, this machine devours gum and keeps the sidewalks in the central city clean.

SidewalksOver 2,650 feet of new streetscape sidewalks were added this year, which included brick inlays, trees and ornamental light posts.

North/South PlazaThe SID adopted the North and South Plaza areas again this year to ensure that the areas were maintained for the enjoyment of everyone.

Aesthetics

Arts &ActivitiesArts ExplosionThe SID continues to partner with ArtsinStark in the ongoing development of arts initia-tives in our downtown. This partnership includes collaborating on First Fridays, marketing and funding. A new pocket guide to the Arts District was also introduced.

Canton Art WalksThis summer ArtsinStark and the Special Improvement District held three new events in the Canton Arts District. The new Canton Art Walks in May, July, and September brought guests downtown to enjoy our galleries, restaurants, and shops. The evenings were free and allowed guests to enjoy downtown without the hectic crowds of First Friday. With jazz music in the air, new art to enjoy and fine food to savor, downtown Canton was filled with people ready to spend some money! Galleries and shops saw very good sales and are look-ing forward to 2014.

First FridayThe success of First Friday is evident by the consistent number of people who attend this celebration of the arts, food and entertainment. 2013 marked First Friday’s sixth year. This unique downtown Canton tradition is the result of a partnership with ArtsinStark, and con-tinues to grow each year.

4th Street Concert SeriesThis popular, free concert series, held under the lights of 4th Street in the heart of the Can-ton Arts District, had something for everyone this season. With tunes from local favorites like Ryan Humbert and Hey Monea!, as well as Hard Day’s Night, one of the finest Beatles tribute bands around, 4th Street was transformed and energized with this series.

1. B-Loco

2. Canton Police Patrolmen’s Association

3. Cork and Canvas

Food & FunCommunity GardenWho doesn’t enjoy fresh tomatoes, beans, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and strawberries straight from the garden? In its’ 4th year, the Downtown Canton/Summit Neighborhood Community Garden contin-ues to thrive and produce hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables each season. This year it saw the addition of new gardeners and our garden coordinator, Project REBUILD, built four new raised beds bringing the total to 79 boxes. Other improvements include a new garden shed for tools and mulch covering common areas thanks to a grant received from the Foundation for Community Betterment to Project REBUILD. Once again, the dedication of the local gardeners made the space bright and cheerful and a welcome place for all that visited.

Restaurant & Arts District GuideThe two guides that list downtown eateries and arts organizations have been reformatted to pocket guides and were distributed around Canton and in tourist welcome centers. The guides provide a quick listing of where to go and what to do downtown.

Farmers’ MarketThe Canton Farmers’ Market had a spectacular season in its 10th year! The momentum comes from the broad base of conscientious and car-ing farmers and producers, chefs, artists and most importantly, the area residents who shop the market. The market not only offers fresh produce, delicious baked goods, organic meats and cheeses, beautiful flowers, plants and herbs, but we also offer a great lineup of music, arts and more for our customers to enjoy. This year was the largest market season yet, with the number of weekly vendors growing to 30 from June 22 through Oct. 19. New vendors including organic health products, an increased number of artists and more came out for the market, and big plans are underway for next year’s season.

Downtown DealsThis promotion, funded by the SID, invited patrons to enjoy downtown restaurants at a discount each Wednesday evening in February and March, and in October and November. The SID continues to support downtown restaurants’ success by coordinating meetings as needed to capture new marketing ideas.

4. DCLB Corp.

5. Deli Ohio

6. Erinn Laine PrimitiveCandles/Feather Your Nest

Annual FestivalsTASTE OF CANTONThis incredible, two-day spring food festival serves up local flavor and fare with a side of entertainment! Stark County food enthusiasts enjoyed a true taste of Canton, with more than two dozen local restaurants serving up sample plate specialties.

BLUES FESTIVALThe rhythm and blues rolled back into downtown Canton this June for the Blues Fest. The 12th installment of the free, two-day affair boasted major music with incredible headliners Malina Moye and Shane Dwight, and music all day from noon to 10:30 p.m. Almost 15,000 people came down for sensational tunes at the best blues festival north of Memphis!

VINTAGE CANTONVintage Canton is a sophisticated downtown gathering, offering distinctive center city charm alongside live music, vibrant art exhibits and, of course, quality local wine and wine from around the world. The event gave almost 2,000 guests the chance to relax and unwind while enjoying wine from local wineries, delicacies from downtown and greater Canton eateries and memorable live music. This year Vintage Canton continued to bring the very best wines and offered quality micro-brews in the Beer Garden.

LIGHT UP DOWNTOWNLight Up Downtown, the magical, musical, holiday jamboree and ELF-stravaganza in downtown Canton will delight the whole family again this December. During Light Up, 16 city blocks come alive with attractions, entertainment, refreshments and fun for children of all ages. This year’s Light Up will again feature Christopher Pop-In-Kins in a very special musical main stage show that will light up the skies and light up your spirits with community musical acts, fantastic fireworks and a visit from Santa.

DestinationDowntown

7. Ferruccio Law Firm

8. George’s Lounge

9. Grapes in a Glass

Blues Photo: by William GreenLight Up Photo: by Michael Barath

Business & PlansSID Master PlanThe SID Master Plan Committee accomplished a very important task in 2013. It completed a concise and thoughtful update to our 2003 Downtown Master Plan. We credit czb Consulting for their insightful plan. Thanks to the many people who gave their time and opinions to help us better understand our downtown’s assets and challenges. The new updated master plan will be used as a road map to guide our city to the next level of revitalization.

Downtown LivingThe Master Plan – Downtown Living Subcommittee has focused on developing a strategy to create living space in our center city. The committee specifically proposed that the Downtown Canton Land Bank become the inaugural leader in providing new, market rate housing in our center city. In 2013, the land bank completed a $1,000,000 project to renovate a building at 400 McKinley Ave. N.W. Commercial space was created on the first floor, and six new market rate apartments were developed on the second floor. The building is 100% leased. The sub-committee is looking forward to the next downtown living project. It is presently gauging demand for housing with local companies and matching this need with present of future sup-ply of units.

Economic DevelopmentDowntown Canton enjoyed another year of economic activity. New businesses to our down-town included: Deli Ohio, Grapes in a Glass, Journey Studio, Cork & Canvas, B-Loco, Franken-stein Records and CTL Engineering.

AdministrationDowntown ContactsAn e-mail listing of downtown contacts is maintained to ensure that our businesses and offices are informed about events and other happenings in our center city.

Space InventoryAn updated space inventory is maintained online at www.downtown canton.com. The listing provides information on downtown buildings, including square footage, space availability, pricing, and contact infor-mation. The SID also calculates occupancy rates for our Class A, B and C buildings.

In MemoriamWe thank Robert King for his service to the SID as a board member and volunteer. We will miss his leadership, enthusiasm, and good works in downtown Canton.

Board ofDirectors

Staff

David T. BeuleChairmanRobert KingVice ChairmanRodney W. MeadowsTreasurerJon H. JacobSecretaryRonald D. BeckerSteve CoonRobert J. HankinsMayor William J. Healy IIMichael E. KingDennis P. SaunierThomas W. Schervish IIChris Smith

Michael P. GillPresidentErin ThompsonEvent ManagerAnnette RosenbergerOffice Manager

10. Journey Art Gallery

11. Palace Theatre

12. Tab Construction

Canton Developm

ent Partnership222 M

arket Ave. N, Canton, Ohio 44702 330.456.0468 DowntownCanton.com