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On the Path to Community ImprovementGrowSmart Maine Summit
October 23, 2012
Greg Paxton, Maine Preservation
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What are Maine’s communities’ most valuable assets?
• Citizens
• Existing Tax Base
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Managing the Tax Base
Alternate title of the session:
Making Eyesores into Assets.
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The Problem
Some view vacant buildings as an unfulfilled promise that needs to be eliminated.
• An embarrassment• A failure• A visible sign of weakness
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The Solution
• View buildings as opportunities• Think from the ground up not the sky down• Inventory your buildings, including condition• Seek incremental improvement to buildings• Inventory the community – what needs are
missing?• Match opportunities to existing spaces
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Do one thing:
Urge every new business to consider locating in downtown
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Do Another
Get over the fear of historic preservation• Developed neighborhood rehabilitation– Charleston, 1955, Providence, Portland, etc.
• Developed downtown revitalization– Main Street Program: 2,200 cities, 30 in Maine– Maine Downtown Center, Maine Development Foundation
– “Economic development in the context of historic preservation”
• Promotes tourism and retirees (2 big imports)
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Historic preservation is the most catalytic approach to revitalization in the country.
Except for Las Vegas, experts cannot point to a city that has revitalized without historic preservation being a major component.
Historic preservation is a bootstrap method for revitalization.
The reason it works: When one owner of a historic building sees another owner fix his/hers up, they want to know how – and are spurred to imitate.
Community appearance improves from the core out.
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The Approach
• Either tackle the biggest problem with an all out concerted effort (requires talent & experience)
• Or begin to make small improvements to build momentum
• We’ll discuss both today.
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Downtown Augusta
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Downtown Augusta
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Downtown Augusta
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Downtown Eastport
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Downtown Eastport
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Downtown Eastport
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Downtown Eastport
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Dover Foxcroft Moosehead Manufacturing
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Dover Foxcroft Moosehead Manufacturing
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Dover Foxcroft Moosehead Manufacturing
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Dover Foxcroft Moosehead Manufacturing