The non-profit Plant City Downtown Business and Merchants Association has tried before to make Plant City’s downtown district a thriving shopping center, with mixed results.
But David Schultz, the manager of the curated boutique marketplace Plant City Mercantile in downtown Plant City, has stepped up to promote another program to improve downtown’s economic structure and environment in just four simple steps.
The program is called Plant City Main Street. It comes from the Florida Main Street program. Florida Main Street is a technical assistance program administered by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources and Florida Department of State. It is aimed at identifying, evaluating and preserving Florida’s historic retail districts.
“I really looked hard at it,” Schultz said. “If somebody wants to revitalize and get downtown going, this program tells you how to do it.”
Ronni Wood, the Florida Main Street program coordinator, recently visited Plant City and explained the program’s four-point approach: organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring. Wood was invited to Plant City by City Manager Mike Herr.
Schultz said that Wood was pleased with the structure of downtown in Plant City, and that its streets promote ordered chaos.
An application for Main Street designation was already granted, so the program will only need renewal from Schultz and a group of downtown business owners he has gathered to start working on the project.
“The timing is now,” Schultz said.
The first step is to unite downtown. Instead of having stakeholders working separately, the program will bring together key stakeholders, including the Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business and Merchants Association, and city leaders, Schultz said.
The program will start off focused on the existing businesses in downtown and will eventually work on bringing new ones to Plant City.
One way it will be better able to do this is by creating a board of directors who will work on setting goals. The board of directors would consist of stakeholders from all parts of the community.
Organizers are also looking at hiring a full-time position as a program manager, who will report to the board of directors while coordinating with both city leaders and the Plant City Chamber of Commerce.
“This person will keep everyone on the same tasks and the same page,” Schultz said.
Schultz says that the program manager will also be responsible for creating an inventory of stakeholders in the Plant City Main Street program.
Although some may be skeptical about changing, the program is geared towards creating benefits for all involved — visitors to downtown, business owners in downtown and nearby areas, and those who have cultural investments in the downtown Plant City community.
“Something needs to be done,” Schultz said. “If we don’t do it, nobody will.”
TO GET INVOLVED AS A STAKEHOLDER
Contact David Schultz at Plant City Mercantile
208 South Collins St.
(813) 659-1600
DavidS@PlantCityMercantile.com
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
