Becoming a Main Street City

With the establishment of Swiss Bear in 1979 and a local downtown effort in progress, under the leadership of Mayor Leander Morgan, City Planner David Rowland applied to the NC Department of Natural Resources and Community Development in 1980 for New Bern to be a participant in the state’s new Main Street Program.  In 1981, New Bern, along with Shelby, Washington, Tarboro and Salisbury were chosen out of a field of nearly 200 cities vying for the honor. The NC Main Street staff would provide guidance and encouragement but the degree of success would depend on the leadership invested in the program by the people of New Bern. Intensive training and technical assistance was provided during 1981 and the NC Main Street Center was available for follow-up consultation for two years. 

Based on the successful and comprehensive revitalization strategies developed in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s three original pilot towns in the 1970’s, the Main Street program’s goal is to encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation.

The Main Street Program combines four elements to create a well-balanced program.*

• Organization: Building partnerships to create a consistent revitalization program and    develop effective management and leadership downtown. Diverse groups - merchants,    bankers, public officials, chamber of commerce and civic groups - must work together to improve downtown.
• Promotion: Re-establishing downtown as a compelling place for shoppers, investors, and visitors. This means not only improving sales but also rekindling community excitement and involvement. Promotion ranges from street festivals to retail merchandising, from community education to marketing and public relations.
• Design: Enhancing the visual quality of the downtown. Attention is given to the downtown  environment elements – not just buildings and storefronts but also public improvements, rear entries, signs, landscaping, window displays and graphic materials.
• Economic Restructuring: Strengthening the existing economic assets of the business district while diversifying its economic base. Activities include conducting market analysis to understand the changing market place, adapting vacant buildings that have outlived their original purposes for use as entertainment or cultural facilities and sharpening the competitiveness of Main Street’s traditional merchants.

The initial step was the visit of a resource team of five consultants for a three day evaluation and meetings with local leaders and elected officials. The following is a summary of their final report presented to citizens as a framework for New Bern’s revitalization effort.

• David Rowland and Kay Williams (Swiss Bear’s newly hired executive director) should serve as co-project managers for New Bern’s Main Street Program.
• The local government should continue to support Swiss Bear financially for at least the     next three years.
• The city government and Swiss Bear should establish goals and objectives and a year    by-year schedule of improvements in the central business district.
• Swiss Bear should expand its activities in the areas of promotion, recruitment and retention of businesses, development of a revolving fund and a low interest loan-pool and facade improvements.
• Swiss Bear and the merchant's association should work together closely.
• The Chamber of Commerce should pursue a more aggressive tourism program in conjunction with the Main Street project.
• The off-street parking areas need to be improved with paving and landscaping.
• Street and traffic lights need to be improved.
• Facade and sign improvements must be implemented as soon as possible.
• The urban renewal area should be treated as a natural extension of downtown.
• The urban renewal area should be developed for housing rather than office or commercial use.
• The community needs to adopt a sophisticated development approach to fill vacant buildings and upper floors.    

The City, County and the Swiss Bear board formally adopted the Main Street approach as its strategy for downtown’s revitalization effort and served as a pivotal role in the organization of the local Main Street Program. By emphasizing the Main Street theme of self-help, the program provided the framework and opportunity for the merchants, the city and county government and the business community, everyone who had a vested interest in downtown, to come together.

Like all plans/reports, the recommendations were meant to suggest appropriate and effective steps in developing a program of achievable goals and objectives. Decisions by the public and private sector over the long term on development and redevelopment decisions provided a unified sense of direction for downtown’s future. Thanks to the energy and leadership invested in the program by Swiss Bear, the City, County, Chamber of Commerce, other nonprofit organizations and the citizens of New Bern over the past 35+ years, New Bern’s downtown effort is widely recognized in the state and nation as an award-winning Main Street success story.

Strategies and projects will be related in future columns.

*The NC Main Street Program is under the Dept. of Commerce. www.nccommerce.com

MUMFEST 2013 has a Bold New Look

October 12-13 

Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation asked talented local artist and designer, Lisa Bisbee, to create a new look for MUMFEST 2013. True to her talent, Lisa Bisbee has come up with an original and bold design.

When asked how she came up with her new design, Lisa said, “Every year during the fall, I take photos of the brilliant autumn foliage. This year's design is based on a digitally enhanced image. I captured the photograph when the downtown merchants adorned New Bern’s streets with flowering mums during MUMFEST. The bold warm colors remind me of the harvest season during which MUMFEST takes place. I created a silhouette from the leaves and added white highlights with gestural artistic strokes. The font and color palette is energetic and festive, to remind everyone about new adventures unfolding during MUMFEST 2013!” 

Mumfesters can stop by the Greater Good Gallery at 228 Craven Street in downtown New Bern to see Lisa’s art, and while you’re there it wouldn’t hurt to let her know how you like her new design. You may also visit her web site at www.greatergoodgallery.com

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MUMFEST weekend in New Bern, NC attracts festiver goers from across the southeast to experience this award winning festival located in the beautifully restored historic downtown along the waterfront. Mumfesters can spend a little or spend a lot with over 300 commercial and non-profit exhibitors to choose from including pottery, crafts, art and a tasty variety of savory food. MUMFEST fits everyone's budget with two days of free entertainment including a wide variety of music from a variety of new and exciting bands, dance troupes, magicians, roving street performers, face painters and clowns. 

MUMFEST will be bolder than ever this year featuring the internationally famous X-POGO Team, a huge NASCAR exhibit from the Richard Childress Racing Team and the Renegade pirate ship just to name a few of the exciting new venues coming to New Bern on October 12-13. 

Start making plans now to come to MUMFEST by water taxi, trolley car park downtown - however you get here - come join the fun because there really is something for everyone! Check frequently on the MUMFEST website to learn all about this year's festival: www.mumfest.com

To learn more about MUMFEST and Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation go to www.downtownnewbern.com.   

Establishing the Historic District Commission

200 Block Middle St. Early 1980s

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, significant residential and commercial structures in the downtown area were demolished, many were in a deteriorated state and the original facades of many buildings were covered with aluminum and other materials in an attempt to modernize them.

300 Block Middle St. Early 1980s

With the establishment of the Historic Preservation Foundation in 1972, (today known as the New Bern Preservation Foundation), a private nonprofit whose focus was/is preserving historic residential properties, and Swiss Bear in 1979, with a focus on restoring the downtown, the area was beginning to experience an active revitalization effort.  Preserving the City’s unique and historic architecture was a major priority.  

In the late 1970’s, as a revitalization strategy, local preservation groups nominated a 20 block downtown area for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1980, the historic district was expanded to include three areas overlooked in the original district including Trent Court, considered an example of high quality public housing, to act as a buffer zone around Tryon Palace.   

300 Block Middle Street 2000s

National Register District’s, basically honorary designations, are not protected by design controls. The one tangible advantage enables owners of commercial and income producing property to claim tax benefits; however, those who chose not to can simply obtain building permits and renovate their building in whatever fashion they chose.

In February 1980, spurred on by Swiss Bear and the Historic Preservation Foundation, the City Planning Department looked into the feasibility of establishing a local Historic District Commission (HDC), authorized by state statute and enacted by local ordinance that would place design controls on the rehab of exterior buildings, new construction, and delay demolition within the historic district.

 On February 28, with the support of David Rowland, City Planner and the Tryon Palace Commission, a public forum held in the Tryon Palace Auditorium included presentations by Robert Stallings Jr., President, New Bern Historical Society; Newsom Williams, President, Historic Preservation Foundation; David Henderson, Chairman, Swiss Bear Architectural Committee; and Dr. Larry Tise, head of NC Archives and History. They all expressed the need to establish a historic district commission with design regulations for any rehabilitation or new construction within the Historic District.

The great show of interest led to the Board of Aldermen appointing a nine member Commission: Boyd Meyers, Chairman, Peter Sandbeck, Newsom Williams, Charles Francis, Martha Smith, Janet Latham, Carrie Miller, Ray Houghton and Eliza Dudley. Their charge: develop an ordinance, guidelines, and application process with the Planning Department providing support and overall coordination.  

It was controversial from the start.

To nudge, or sledge hammer to preservation, was the title of an August 16, 1980 Sun Journal article by Catherine Landis who covered the contentious public meeting at which many people spoke. David Henderson advised the Commission to specify which guidelines are mandatory and which are just suggestions. “You have to be consistent” he said, “should can never be enforced”.  Commission Chairman, Boyd Meyers said,”when you get to texture, color, mass, you can’t get specific. Let’s keep it general enough so it will help everyone in the community”. Henderson replied “you’re going to get yourself in a hole if you don’t have something enforceable”.  Dr. Ray Houghton, Commission Vice-Chairman said”we’re not trying to strangle people or keep someone from doing something. I’d prefer to nudge people, not hit them with a sledge hammer”.

In the November 18, 1980 Sun Journal  article by Lee Landis, New Bern Historic District praised, panned at hearing,  reporting on the recent public hearing at the Board of Aldermen meeting…the near capacity audience, most of who supported the ordinance appeared at the meeting. The issue as both the advocates and opponents of the ordinance saw it was more government regulation. But those favoring the ordinance said it was necessary to preserve the historic integrity of the city. Those opposing the ordinance said they objected to being considered an “irresponsible minority”. At the urging of former Alderman Ben Hurst, audience members stood up. Hurst said he observed, “90% of the audience favored the ordinance”.

At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Board of Aldermen adopted the ordinance and the Commission’s guidelines. Effective January 1, 1981, a certificate of appropriateness (CA) had to be obtained from the Historic District Commission (HDC), (now Historic Preservation Commission - HPC) prior to any exterior alteration, relocation, new construction or demolition of a building.

A year later, the HDC decided the guidelines needed to be revised. As reported in a May 22, 1982 Sun Journal article, Historic Ordinance may be revised… the consensus of the HPC members was “we should go with our gut reactions (on applications) and stop being so worried about being so diplomatic”. Another commissioner noted “two years ago downtown New Bern was dying and I did not feel like imposing any requirements on people that might impede the restoration of the historic area. Now, with revitalization firmly underway, the circumstances were different and with our experience we can see some of the problems people are having with us and we are having with them and make changes”.

From the onset, the power of the HPC has been a controversial and complex issue and the focus of many bitter arguments, editorials and letters to the editor. Proponents credit the district controls with protecting areas of historic significance, helping chart future growth and stimulating new investment. Opponents contend the historic districts are elitist, often arbitrarily administered by commissioners who abuse their power and are not qualified to pass judgment on what are frequently complex, subjective decisions.

Whatever your opinion, generally speaking, when the design controls were put in place, Swiss Bear, preservationists, developers and investors saw promoting good design within the context of historic preservation as part of a comprehensive approach to stimulate residential and downtown revitalization efforts.

Middle Street Today

A historic district that looked beaten, bruised and neglected in 1980 is now a healthy vital district with new and rehabilitated structures that give New Bern its distinctive “sense of place”.

Susan Moffat Thomas, Executive Director