National Main Street Conference
1200 Downtown Professionals Attend
Bismarck and Fargo Represent North Dakota
Walking in to a room holding our North Dakota sign while hundreds of Downtown supporters cheer and gather is a great experience for a Downtown professional. North Dakota Downtowns are keeping up with national revitalization efforts, and our Main Streets are starting to take our place among other liked minded communities.
From April 14-16, six North Dakota Downtown professionals represented our state at the National Main Street Conference which brings together hundreds working to revitalize Downtowns throughout the country. In the past couple years, The Fargo Downtown Community Partnership has sent two attendees and encouraged Bismarck to attend. This year the Downtown Business Association of Bismarck sent a crew of four tripling the ND attendance!
The three day conference brings together dozens of speakers from around the United States, holding workshops and sharing best practices to take back to our own Downtowns. While some of the sessions confirmed we are on the right track, others offered insights we can use here in Bismarck. Sessions we attended included local food sourcing and farmer’s markets, designing gateways to Downtowns, how to find funding for large projects, improving Downtown boundaries, retail patterns of the next generation, walkability and transit friendly Downtowns, and the list keeps going. We are excited to put this information into motion in Downtown Bismarck.
If you’d like review the sessions from the National Main Street Conference 2013 from New Orleans or learn more about the organization, visit this link: http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/
Downtown Bismarck
News & Updates
— A Creative Outlet (ACO), a new retail store in Downtown Bismarck, will be opening their doors May 2-4 for their first event. ACO features unique and clever locally made items. To find out more about ACO visit their website or find them on Facebook. http://shopaco.com/
–The Downtown Master Plan is underway. The 1st public input meeting was held March 13 at the Bismarck Civic Center, the second may be scheduled for sometime in late May. If you’d like to sign up for reminders and updates regarding the plan, visit www.downtownbismarckstudy.com.
–The Cowan Bldg development continues on the corner of 4th and Broadway. The sidewalk in front of the building will be closed during construction (south side of the block). The sidewalk could be open by June.
–Quiet Rail Zones are moving forward at 3rd, 5th and 12th Streets in Downtown Bismarck. Representatives from the Downtowners, City, Federal Railway Administration, BNSF, NDDOT and others conducted the site review Wednesday April 10.
— The Bismarck City Commission has approved boundary changes for the Renaissance Zone in Downtown Bismarck. The Renaissance Zone is a state program that promotes revitalization and investment in rehabilitating buildings. Each zone can contain a maximum number of blocks. The Renaissance Zone Authority recommended amending the boundaries to remove 4 blocks that have been finished or inactive and add four blocks that showed interest in the state program. Two large blocks were added south of Main Ave from 12th Street to Airport Road, two additional blocks west of 2nd Street along Bowen Ave were also added. For more information contact Jason Tomanek at the City of Bismarck, 701-355-1849.
–If you are considering a downtown development or renovation of a Downtown building, the CORE Incentive Programs are once again available through the City of Bismarck. The CORE Programs currently active are Façade and Signage Grant, Housing Incentive Grant, Technical Assistance Bank, and Sidewalk Subsurface Infill. The programs are designed to encourage reinvestment, rehabilitation, and new development in the Downtown area. For more information contact the Downtowners or Jason Tomanek at the City of Bismarck at 701-355-1849.
– The Bismarck Parking Authority is offering free evening parking in the 3rd and Main Ramp from 4pm to 2am daily. With all the new activity and nightlife in Downtown Bismarck, the ramps allow the public to enjoy the city center and not have to search for street parking. *How the After Hour Complementary Parking Works: Use the entrance to the 3rd & Main Ramp on 3rd Street. Pull into the ramp and pull a time stamped ticket. The arm will raise and allow the car through to park. When exiting the ramp, simply use the hourly lane and deposit your ticket in the slot, the arm will already be raised to allow the cars to exit. There is no leeway on timing. If you enter at 3:59pm or exit at 2:01am, the customer will be charged the normal hourly rate.
Downtowners’ Association
Member News
Welcome to our newest member Dakota Appraisal & Consulting Ltd! You can find their information and all our members at www.downtownbismarck.com
-Member Bismarck Cancer Center is taking cancer treatment to new levels with its new machine, the Elekta Infinity/Agility, which features next-generation technology designed to enable complex radiation therapy with extreme accuracy. “This is the first unit of its kind delivered in the United States,” stated Jeffrey Powell, Elekta National Sales Manager. This machine started treating patients this past week. Visit www.bismarckcancercenter.com for more information.
-Member Gallery 522 is hosting “New Art for a New Season”. Find them at 200 E Main Ave, hours are Tuesday-Saturday 12-5pm.
-Member Tricia’s Bakery will be featuring a different vendor every Saturday at her store on Broadway. Visit www.triciasbakery.com for the list of vendors and specials.
-Send all member news and events to Kate@downtownbismarck.com.
What’s Shakin’ Downtown?
Events Downtown
May 2-10
Dakota Stage Presents
Marcus is Walking
www.dakotastageltd.com
May 4-5
Northern Plains Dance Presents
Little Mermaid
www.northernplainsdance.org
May 4
BAGA Presents:
For Art’s Sake Flea Market
www.bismarck-art.org
May 7
Bismarck Mandan Symphony Orchestra
Rush Hour Concert Series
www.bismarckmandansymphony.org
May 10
Band Night Parade
Capitol to Civic Center 6:30pm
701-333-0285
May 16
“Rock of Ages”
Bismarck Civic Center
www.bismarckciviccenter.com
*BisMarket, your community farmer’s market, will be at Sertoma Park near Shelter 5, May through September Saturdays 9am-1pm and Tuesdays 4pm-7pm. The enhanced GO! Market Days which will feature fresh foods as well as local artists and crafters, vendor booths, and food demos will be June 8, July 13, and August 10. You can find all the details for each event at http://gobismarckmandan.org/projects/