Support the Engines of Economic Development

3.1 Support Macon’s institutions as economic anchors for future growth

a. Promote an Urban Core Health District

YES i. Create a medical corridor to link Navicent with Mercer School of Medicine along College and Forsyth Streets, Columbus and Oglethorpe short $20,000 (marketing) ii. Incorporate branding, signage, landscaping, paving, and crosswalks to promote active transportation (walking & biking) long

$100,000 (initial improvements in wayfinding, marketing, trail markers)

YES iii. Create a map of Macon's Health District for local, regional, and national promotion short $5,000 b. Create

an attractive, 21st Century campus for the Medical Center

i. Incorporate wayfinding, streetscaping, and traffic calming medium ii. Include housing for a mixed-use campus medium c. Build per sq.

Navicent, Mercer, Coliseum, Macon-Bibb Public Works institutions, general fund

Navicent, Mercer, Coliseum, Macon-Bibb Public Works institutions, general fund

Navicent, Mercer, Coliseum, College Hill institutions

Navicent Navicent, Macon-Bibb

Navicent, private developers private equity, publicprivate partnerships

Better Support For Economic Anchors By Expanding Commercial Businesses

i. Recruit & support healthcare employee-related businesses (such as convenience & food services) which will serve students & residents as well medium --

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Chamber of Commerce ii. Support & prioritize medical office space medium --

3.2 Send a clear message that Macon is open for business

Navicent, Coliseum, NewTown Macon, UDA, Macon-Bibb -- a. Strengthen competition and re-establish natural churn in the local market by increasing number and diversity of businesses

YES i.

Offer incentives and financing strategies for existing and prospective business owners (storefront improvement matching fund, fit-out incentive, start-up assistance, underwrite pop-up temporary storefront space) short up to $500,000

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County

Public, private, & foundation

b. Initiate Downtown-specific business attraction efforts

i. Redefine potential draw area & capture rate expectations to leverage DT’s location as center of region short -- ii. Identify & recruit businesses (1) outside of Macon to relocate or (2) in other parts of Macon to open second locations medium $40,000-$60,000 iii. Include office & industrial businesses in recruitment efforts as economic building blocks beyond healthcare & government medium --

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County

c. Work with existing commercial property owners to encourage movement in market

YES i. Conduct outreach to building owners to better understand portfolios & potential property disposition short -- ii. Encourage property sales, as appropriate, to enable organic competition & growth to actually occur medium --

YES iii. Educate building owners about value of vetting potential tenants & how it improves everyone’s bottom line short --

d. Initiate talent attraction efforts to build local economy

i. Encourage businesses to advertise high skill/wage jobs outside of Macon to attract talent short -- ii. Encourage employers to attract & hire people that are really good at what they do in order to diversify workforce short --

e. Customer attraction

YES i. Institute small-scale, consistent programming to attract a diverse customer base short up to $15,000/year ii. Encourage clustering of complementary businesses, as feasible, to provide multiple destinations for customers short to medium --

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon

Public, private, & foundation

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County

Main Street Macon, NewTown Macon, UDA, College Hill

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning

Public, local commercial & institutional sponsors, foundation

3.3 Support Start-Ups and Attract Job-Creating Businesses

a. Embrace and support start-up culture

i. Invest in collaborative workspace medium up to $50,000 ii. Build out high-speed Internet and WiFi infrastructure medium TBD

YES iii. Support the entrepreneur-related strategies in the College Hill Refresh ongoing up to $100,000

UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce

Public, private, & foundation

UDA, Macon-Bibb County, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce Public, private

Main Street Macon, UDA, NewTown Macon, Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County

Public, private, & foundation iv. Support innovation efforts at area colleges and universities medium --

b. Encourage modern industrial uses along 7th Street

i. Create a modern industrial park (between rail and 7th Street) long TBD

YES ii. Submit for brownfield grants to assist with clean-up costs (remediation) ongoing

Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Macon-Bibb County, Mercer University, Wesleyan College, Middle Georgia State College & University

Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority, UDA, Chamber of Commerce

-- Mayor's Office iii. Assemble land long TBD iv. Create an industrial protection area medium -- v. Market to appropriate businesses long --

c. Establish creative work space within existing underutilized buildings

i. Repurpose mill buildings as maker spaces (e.g. Atlanta Goat Farm, The Plant in Chicago, Crane Arts in Philly) to foster creative entrepreneurship medium-long $80-$100 per sq. ft.

ii. Upgrade for aesthetics (greening & screening) medium up to $500,000

Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority, UDA, Chamber of Commerce, private land owners

Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning

Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority, UDA, Chamber of Commerce

UDA, NewTown Macon, Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning, Macon-Bibb Industrial Authority

UDA, Macon-Bibb Public Works, Macon Water Department, local institutions

Federal & state grants, Splost

Federal & state grants, Splost, Macon-Bibb private equity, publicprivate partnerships

General fund, local institutions