Can someone please educate me on the process of attracting businesses to a near-downtown, urban neighborhood?
Over the Rhine in Cincinnati has hundreds of empty storefronts, and city officials and even local developers seem to have lost their way completely. What can an independent non-profit do to attract businesses to such a neighborhood?
To narrow the range of the question, I don't mean only small business development (which I'm certainly in full favor of). How can a neighborhood attract chain retail stores to create a diverse shopping atmosphere? Is it plausible to attract a number of businesses and then find a developer, or some similar process that doesn't depend on local developers taking the initiative?
Over the Rhine in Cincinnati has hundreds of empty storefronts, and city officials and even local developers seem to have lost their way completely. What can an independent non-profit do to attract businesses to such a neighborhood?
To narrow the range of the question, I don't mean only small business development (which I'm certainly in full favor of). How can a neighborhood attract chain retail stores to create a diverse shopping atmosphere? Is it plausible to attract a number of businesses and then find a developer, or some similar process that doesn't depend on local developers taking the initiative?