Economic Restructuring Committee

2009 Achievements

  • Maintained a database of all “For Sale & For Lease” properties in the district. This list was made available to area realtors and business development agencies.
  • Assisted numerous businesses in locating properties & business preparedness.
  • Continuously worked on business retention and using community partners to assist with retention.
  • Attended the ICSC Conference.
  • Defined three revitalization districts including the Gateway, River Walk and Arts & Entertainment.
  • Looked into hiring a local firm to visualize each concept, but decided to take it a step further and solicit a specialized firm through a “Request for Qualifications”.
  • Researched community development grant funding to assist with funding.
    Worked with the City of FDL in authoring the Downtown Development Plan, and educated committee members, stakeholders and the general public on the concepts that are included.

    • 2010 Goals

  • Promote Downtown Fond du Lac for downtown business development.
  • Work with a private consulting firm to develop and visualize the three identified concept areas.
       · Gateway District
       · Arts and Entertainment District
       · River Walk District
  • Develop an active business recruitment program.
       · Design and print informational material for business recruitment.
       · Use ESRI data to identify specific types of shops and businesses to target.
       · Identify corporations looking to expand into Wisconsin market, and actively recruit.
       · Visit other communities to recruit new businesses to downtown.
  • Keep a current listing of all property for sale and for lease in the district and make available to all local commercial realtors.
  • Promote the Retail Incentive Program, a grant program providing grants to new and expanding retail businesses.
  • Use marketing materials to solicit identified businesses and developers.
  • Expand market outreach to include printed advertisements and tradeshow presence.