October 2008
1. Committee
to analyze feasibility of designated parade routes
2. Downtown Marketing Initiative secures FY
2008-09 budget
3. Clean & Safe September statistics
4. West Side Community Court
5. Sidewalk Ambassadors update
6. Peterson's Convenience Store update
7. Retail Sales see seasonal decline
8. Big Deals: Shop Portland
9. Holiday LED lights illuminate downtown
Portland in November
10. Downtown Marketing Initiative update
11. Alliance prepares for the 2008 Downtown
Business Census & Survey
12. Economic Development update
13. PPI Officers go fishing and donate to
worthy cause
1.
Committee to analyze feasibility of designated parade routes
The city
has organized a committee to look at the public cost of events
downtown and whether it would be beneficial to have designated
routes for parades and marches in order to minimize disruption
to downtown commerce, maintaining access to parking garages
and main arterial streets. Sandra Rollinson from Pioneer Place
has volunteered to serve on the city committee and will provide
updates to DRC as needed on the creation of these designated
routes.
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2.
Downtown Marketing Initiative secures FY 2008-09 budget
After
nearly 18 months and 65 meetings with 35 stakeholder groups
and elected officials, The Downtown Marketing Initiative (DMI)
successfully secured a FY 2008-09 budget of $950,000. This
amount more than doubles its previous budget and will be sorely
needed as an important economic stimulus tool within an increasingly
dubious national financial situation. This money has not yet
been transferred to DMI owing to some complicated contract
technicalities. However, with the importance of holiday season
looming, we are confident that this issue will be resolved
soon.
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3.
Clean & Safe September statistics
 In
September, Clean and Safe security officers contacted 9,925
citizens on the streets of downtown Portland's Business Improvement
District. These contacts included 2,570 business assistance
and referral contacts, 3,984 pedestrian contacts, 97 arrests,
215 exclusions and an additional 93 non-enforcement problem-solving
contacts.
The Neighborhood
District Attorney Legal Assistant reported reviewing and issuing
188 criminal cases in September.
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 4.
West Side Community Court
Crews
were busy in September scrubbing off sidewalks and other surfaces
and removing ivy throughout the mall area. In September, defendants
performed 1,312 hours of work removing 107 bags of trash from
692 block faces, and spent 16 hours at Loaves and Fishes.
Sixty-eight defendants were sentenced to attend the Alliance's
Theft Accountability Class.
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5.
Sidewalk Ambassadors update
In September,
the Ambassadors spent some time with the new Alliance Membership
Director Brenda Falash who explained her role in assisting
the Ambassadors with their business contacts. The Ambassadors
also received some warm-up, stretches and wellness training
from Ambassador Marcus Marchand, a personal trainer. The goal
is to have no injuries and a fit crew.
September
Statistics:
- Business
Modifications: 8
- Business
Visits: 12
- Publications:
1,147
- Information:
2,554
- Service
Calls: 56
- Total
Interactions: 3,777
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6.
Peterson's Convenience Store Update
This summer,
retailer complaints regarding Peterson's influenced the city
to issue a notice to vacate by Aug. 15. Doug Peterson negotiated
terms with the Portland City Council that would allow him
to continue operations under very strict conditions. City
Council passed a resolution in August requiring Peterson's
to hire 24-hour security, limit malt liquor alcohol sales,
and participate in all prosecutions stemming from in-store
incidents. Central Precinct Commander Mike Reese will hold
monthly security update meetings with Peterson's and will
be responsible for ensuring Peterson's complies with the new
lease provisions. Recent visits to the store indicate that
the on-site security has reduced the amount of intimidating
and possible illegal behavior occurring in front of this location.
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7.
Retail Sales see seasonal decline
It's been
a mixed bag, but retailers are seeing overall sales decline
this Fall. Apparel sales are down, both in moderate and designer
categories, while accessories, shoes and handbag categories
are holding steady. The tourist traveler is buoying downtown
retail sales, and the season should improve shortly as the
weather turns colder, as retailers begin promotions to drive
business and as new deliveries hit the stores in the next
few weeks. Macy's has begun to upgrade merchandise assortments
in the downtown store to compete with the upscale offerings
in downtown Portland, adding the designer denim category to
their store and featuring the merchandise in their windows.
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8.
Big Deals: Shop Portland
Travel
Portland and the Downtown Retail Council (DRC) are continuing
the very successful Big Deal-Shop Portland program. The DRC
will co-op fees for a limited number of members to participate
in the booklet with rates for promotional vouchers reduced
from $1,250 to $625. Retail offers included in Shop Portland
may be in the form of a discount or a promotional gift; retailers
can offer experiential opportunities as well. Sixty thousand
Shop Portland publications will be distributed to leisure
travelers and convention delegates in 2009.
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9.
Holiday LED lights illuminate downtown Portland in November
The Holiday
Lighting Program, paid for by downtown property owners, is
scheduled to kick off in November and include more than 700
trees in the retail core, from 12th to First avenues, and
from Main to Washington streets. All trees this year will
convert to LED lights, saving 80 percent of the electricity
utilized by the program each year. The Alliance will partner
with Pacific Power and Portland General Electric to publicize
the lighting program.
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10.
Downtown Marketing Initiative update
With the
inception of the new budget year on July 1, 2008, DMI was
busy with three major summer programs: the Second Annual Maritime
Heritage Festival, a partnership with Travel Oregon and Travel
Portland on a European Travel Channel broadcast, and a partnership
with Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation and the Pacific Education
& Cultural Exchange on a broadcast project. Highlights of
these programs include:
Second
Annual Maritime Heritage Festival
- Held
July 25-27 at River Place Marina & Docks
- Free
to the public with an estimated 40,000 attendance
- Nearly
60 vintage boats and WWII vessels
- Portland
Water Spectacular Water Skiing Show and log rolling demonstrations
- 25
festival exhibits from Columbia River Maritime Museum at
Astoria, live musical performances, boat building and children's
activities
- Private
VIP/sponsor events with opening remarks by Mayor-elect Sam
Adams
- $172,000
media value representing an ROI of 3:1
European
Travel Channel
- Partnered
with Travel Oregon & Travel Portland
- 2.5
minute downtown segment included Pioneer Courthouse Square,
Lucier, Ace Hotel, Pioneer Place and Mc Cormick & Schmick's
- Broadcast
begins in early 2009, to 38 million people in 12 languages
- DMI
retains usage rights of film
- $100,000-plus
media value representing an ROI of nearly 10:1
Jiangsu
Broadcasting Corporation/Chinese People See the World
- DMI
created partnership with Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation
and Pacific Education & Cultural Exchange
- 7 minute
downtown segment included Saks Fifth Avenue, Lucier, Ace
Hotel, Pioneer Place, Mario's and Kenny & Zuke's
- Broadcast
beginning in Fall 2008 to 86 million people
- DMI
retains usage rights of film
- $150,000-plus
in media value representing an ROI of nearly 8:1
DMI's
e-commerce campaign continues to work well, with e-blasts
reaching 25,000 monthly subscribers and generating a 30 percent
open rate. The Web site is receiving 7,000 average daily hits.
Next month,
watch for information on the 2008 holiday marketing campaign.
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11.
Alliance prepares for the 2008 Downtown Business Census &
Survey
The Alliance
is preparing the 2008 Downtown Business Census & Survey questionnaire
to send out to all businesses, non-profit organizations and
governmental agencies in the I-5/I-405 loop. In addition to
collecting employment and industry information, the Alliance
will work with organizations including the Portland Development
Commission, the Downtown Marketing Initiative, the City of
Portland, and the Bureau of Planning to align survey questions
to help shape policy and provide benchmarks using various
efforts including the Central Portland Plan Update and the
City's Economic Development Strategy.
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12.
Economic Development update
The Development
Subcommittee, a subgroup of the Central City Standing Committee,
will convene industry experts among the Alliance membership
to identify barriers to, and opportunities and recommendations
for, support of real estate development in the central business
district. The resulting information will provide a platform
for advocacy and offer an informed opinion to help shape the
Central Portland Plan Update.
The Business
Improvement District (BID) Board directed the Alliance staff
to determine whether Portland City Council should require
that the BID fee be collected from ownership residential units
in the BID. Currently a voluntary collection, Alliance staff
is conducting informational outreach to Homeowners Associations
in the BID regarding the benefits and services received from
the BID as well as the economic impact of the assessment to
each building.
The Alliance
has convened a task force of industry experts to consider
policy proposals from the City of Portland's Office of Sustainable
Development related to green building development. Central
City property owners and developers are serving on this task
force in an effort to help shape financially feasible policies
and accomplish energy conservation goals in light of the potential
impact of capital and operating costs of new and existing
construction.
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13.
PPI Officers go fishing and donate to a worthy cause
Six individuals
from Portland Patrol, Inc., (PPI) and the Portland Police
Bureau traveled to Westport, Wash., in September to engage
the wily Albacore Tuna in its own habitat. The group aimed
to catch enough fish to make a contribution to a deserving
charity. Cliff Madison of PPI reported that, "the fishing
gods were smiling and we had a very successful weekend," resulting
in a donation of more than 150 pounds of fresh tuna filets
to the Blanchet House, an organization offering meals, shelter
and job assistance to Oregonians in need. Thanks to the officers
for their thoughtfulness and donation to this worthy cause!
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