NewTown Honored with Renaissance Award

On June 25, the Georgia Cities Foundation announced NewTown Macon as the 2006 Renaissance Award recipient. The prestigious award recognizes an individual or organization that demonstrates passion for vibrant downtowns, leads innovative approaches to re-investment, partners with stakeholders to build community consensus and commits significant resources to stimulate quality development. "NewTown shares this award with our community partners – the developers, small business owners, foundations, corporate leaders and elected officials who are making significant investments in our downtown," said Kirby Godsey, chairman of NewTown. Read more at the Georgia Cities website.

Design Charrette Report Available

"Make Every Night Saturday Night in Macon" is the title of the report by University of Georgia students and faculty who facilitated our community design charrette in January. The report combines creative design solutions with recommendations on partnerships, management and policy. Among the suggestions are strengthening and enforcing maintenance and neglect ordinances, improving signage directing visitors to parking, and using public art and lighting to improve alleyways. To view the complete report, please visit the Charette Website. Coming soon…significant enhancements to Cherry Street Lane and Third Street alley!

What's Happening Downtown

Did you know that 21 new businesses opened downtown in the previous 18 months, and seven more are on the horizon? These additions reflect the eclectic nature that makes downtown unique. Destination retail boutiques like Ginger Michelle at Home and Dreams, a gourmet chocolate shop, the Cox Capitol Theatre, manufacturing outlets like Elite Flooring and Fasteners Plus as well as the Center for Racial Understanding and Georgia Music Magazine are just a few of the enterprises doing business downtown. NewTown is focused on growing jobs and provides assistance to entrepreneurs. One exciting form of assistance is coming up this fall as NewTown sponsors a restaurant school in partnership with Goodwill Industries.

Historic Façades will be Restored

Proceeds from the sale of the Chapman Poe property on New Street have been authorized for a façade improvement program. Approximately $330,000 will available for low interest and forgivable loans to downtown property owners with the goal of spurring the renewal of 20 historic façades within five years. The program, considered integral to NewTown's business recruitment and retention efforts, is a partnership between the City of Macon's Economic and Community Development office, the Urban Development Authority and NewTown Macon.