Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about PDC
What does PDC do?
Pennsylvania Downtown Center is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to downtown issues and the revitalization of the hundreds of central business districts and surrounding neighborhoods in the commonwealth. PDC provides affordable services to our member communities, uniquely tailored to their respective economic and social conditions. These communities include urban and rural downtowns and neighborhoods of all sizes.
Is PDC a state agency?
No, Pennsylvania Downtown Center is not a state agency. Rather, PDC is an independent, statewide nonprofit organization. PDC currently holds a major contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to provide technical assistance and training, primarily utilizing the National Main Street Center’s Main Street Approach, to Pennsylvania communities interested in downtown, central business district, and neighborhood revitalization.
Why should my town worry about downtown revitalization?
A well run downtown revitalization program is an important and worthwhile investment in the economic health and quality of life of a community. A vital central business district retains and creates jobs and stabilizes and enhances downtown property values, setting up a strong tax base that is less dependent upon residential taxes for financial stability. Long-term revitalization establishes capable businesses that serve the community and provide tax revenues for local and state government. Downtown and central business districts are also a good incubator for new, small businesses, which serve as the building blocks of a healthy economy. A traditional commercial district is an ideal location for independent businesses. In turn, the businesses keep profits in town, support local residents, and invest in community projects. They also provide a stable economic foundation for the community. Most importantly, a strong downtown revitalization program creates a sense of place, which is increasingly becoming a crucial factor in twenty-first century economic development.
What is “sense of place?”
Traditional communities in Pennsylvania, exemplified by the established and distinctive grid patterns characteristic of villages and small towns, and unique, architecturally-significant, pedestrian-oriented cities engender feelings of familiarity, belonging, and an emotional attachment by residents. A sense of place describes the various characteristics that give a particular neighborhood or community its own unique flavor. Increasingly, this is being understood as a valuable driving force behind the locational decisions being made by entrepreneurs, innovators, and creators of the New Economy. Where sense of place was once considered fluff, today, creating a sense of place is perhaps the most critical element of an overall economic development strategy.
What is the difference between the National Main Street Center’s “Main Street Approach” and the Pennsylvania Main Street program?
The National Main Street Center’s “Main Street Approach” is a conceptual methodology that any community may use as the template for its downtown revitalization effort. The Main Street Approach is based upon implementation of four functional components as foundation of a solid downtown revitalization program.
Design: Improvement and enhancement of the physical environment of the central business district.
Promotion: Creation and implementation of a unified and consistent plan for marketing the downtown area, including consideration of the general image of the central business district, the calendar of special events that brings people downtown, and the retail promotions schedule that encourages people to shop downtown.
Organization: Development of a strong, well-trained downtown corporate entity. Preferably, this entity is an independent, nonprofit organization whose sole responsibility is enhancement of the skills necessary to implement the Four-Point Approach™, including communications, volunteer development, program implementation, and fundraising.
Economic Vitality: Preparation of the studies necessary to fully understand the social and economic characteristics of the downtown and its trade area. This is done so as to ultimately implement a strategy that will retain existing businesses and help strong businesses and business clusters to develop and recruit new businesses that align with the vision and trade area demographics of the respective downtown. The Main Street Approach is a highly detailed and structured series of training sessions, workbooks, videos and slide shows that teaches members of the community how to do downtown revitalization for themselves and sustain the effort into the future.
The Pennsylvania Main Street program, operated by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), is primarily a funding program. Communities that successfully apply and are approved use the resources provided to implement the Main Street Approach within their community. Working with the assistance of Pennsylvania Downtown Center, business districts that are accepted into the Main Street program are expected to implement the Main Street Approach.
How does my community start to work on a downtown revitalization program?
Downtown revitalization requires the operation and commitment of a broad-based coalition of public and private groups, such as businesses, civic groups, local government, financial institutions and consumers. Groups interested in the downtown must share the common goal of revitalization and develop a commitment to a specific long-term vision. Once a consensus is reached that revitalization is essential for the community, group leaders should contact Pennsylvania Downtown Center, who will present the basics of downtown revitalization, as well as information regarding the Main Street Approach and the Pennsylvania Main Street program.
What services are free and what services does PDC charge for?
PDC is obligated by its DCED contract to provide certain outreach and preliminary assessment services to a community contemplating a downtown revitalization program. Beyond these initial introductory and community assessment services, PDC must charge for services such as visioning, planning, market area assessment, etc. Members of PDC receive a significant discount for these services. If a community is accepted into the Pennsylvania Main Street program, the services provided by PDC to the Main Street program participant are free for the duration of the time the community is in the program – normally for five years. Note: communities must still pay for PDC membership, but services above and beyond the basic membership benefits are free.
How much will it cost to complete the Main Street program, and how do we raise the funds?
The amount of funding necessary to complete a downtown revitalization program is purely a function of the level of activities necessary to attain the community’s vision for its central business district. Downtown revitalization is not cheap – either in dollars or in human effort – but the surest way for a community to fail at downtown revitalization is to embark upon the process while focusing primarily upon the financial requirements necessary to complete the process. Rather, it is essential to focus on the big picture and remember that downtown revitalization is an ongoing effort, not a project with a time limit or end date. Additionally, PDC can assist communities with developing long-term fundraising plans, which can invaluably help in financing downtown revitalization efforts.
What makes a successful downtown “successful”?
No question is asked more frequently than this one, but the answer is actually fairly simple. The downtowns that are most successful are those that have grasped the concept that downtown revitalization is not a project with a beginning and an end. A thriving downtown is a long-term community asset that must be constantly nurtured, maintained, and promoted. For successful communities, these activities do not lapse.
Most importantly, creation of a developed, well-educated, financially stable and sustainable downtown revitalization organization is the surest way to ensure that your downtown will be successful for the long-term, not just while you are in a temporary funding program. PDC is committed to working with your community to help your downtown revitalization effort become a true success.
Besides a discount in technical assistance services what else does my membership in PDC buy my community?
- Weekly updates on funding sources and training programs currently available via our E-update.
- Subscription to PDC’s quarterly newsletter, the CenterPiece,
which details the latest in downtown revitalization news across
Pennsylvania and beyond. - Discounts to PDC’s annual conference, widely considered the premier downtown revitalization conference in Pennsylvania.
- Legislative alerts and Legislative updates, which keep PDC
members aware of crucial pieces of downtown revitalization legislation
and related activities. - Free in-office consultation either in-person or by phone.
- Access to the PDC resource center materials and lending
library, located in our Harrisburg office. (Note: members may e-mail or
call PDC to check-out materials and have them delivered by mail.) - Access to the members only area of the PDC website, which
contains our member forums, quarterly reporting system, document
repository, and more. - An advocate in Harrisburg to act on behalf of your community’s downtown revitalization efforts.
