Chamber of Commerce, Butler Downtown to pursue Main Street designation for Butler
Butler-based organizations and businesses are working together to seek a designation from the state that could open up new opportunities for the city’s downtown area.
Butler County Chamber of Commerce, Butler Downtown and Fourth Economy Consultants of Pittsburgh held an informational session regarding the state’s Main Street Matters program Monday evening, July 27, at Hop Car Brewing in Butler.
Chamber president Jordan Grady explained the chamber and Butler Downtown received a $37,000 “planning grant” which was used to hire Fourth Economy Consultants through a bidding process.
To begin moving forward from there, however, requires community engagement.
“If you like what you hear this evening, one of the main things we really need is for people to engage and help us with this process,” Grady said.
Senior consultants Maya Haptas and Maura Kay explained in greater detail what the next steps in the yearslong process are.
“What we’re working toward is, ultimately, a strategy that identifies whatever it is we want to see happen over the next five years,” Kay said.
She said the first step is to define the status of Main Street now through its economic and market conditions. After that is done, a decision can be made as to the direction of a five-year strategy.
“What are the different measures we want to track? We want X number of additional businesses. We want to retain existing businesses. We want to see workforce development in X, Y and Z. These are really up to the community to decide,” Kay said.
She said once a vision is complete, the strategy will be submitted to the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development for Main Street designation.
With the Main Street designation, the city would be eligible to apply for grants “to support revitalization efforts in planning, business support, aesthetic improvements and the increase of safety and security,” the program’s guidelines state.
Kay said the program also gives the opportunity to create and fund the position of Main Street manager.
“The Main Street manager is somebody whose full-time job is to do what is defined in the plan. So to do things like support businesses, fill vacancies, to help organize events, to administer different grants on Main Street and whatever is defined in the plan,” she said.
She said the first step is to establish a steering committee of community and business leaders which will be responsible for shaping the five-year strategy. There will also be focus groups, interviews and public surveys to get the general public’s opinion on what Main Street needs.
Kay and Haptas said the goal is to have a five-year strategy submitted to the state within the coming months in hopes of starting implementation in 2027.
