Clarkston, to many, has the best downtown in all of Oakland County, maybe not as many stores as Rochester, but many more volunteers and organizations.
As far as what downtown Clarkston is missing, Councilwoman Peggy Roth said signage seems to be the number one concern of many people.
‘It’s important for people to be able to find what they’re looking for,? she said. ‘If someone has heard about a salon in Clarkston, they may not know they have to turn down Depot Road.?
Roth said it’s important to point out what the city has to offer. She also thinks the city could use another restaurant downtown because restaurants bring traffic downtown.
‘With additional traffic, we can attract more small businesses,? she said. “We have really two in town that are evening restaurants and when one has a three-hour wait, it just seems there could be overflow going into a third restaurant.?
City officials are looking into Main Street Oakland County to make these things happen. But when it comes to creating a Clarkston Downtown Development Authority in accordance with the program, City Councilwoman Kristy Ottman says they will take it slow.
‘We are a long ways out from even getting to that point. Right now we need to see if this is even going to be a program that will work for us,? she said. ‘That’s why the mentoring part of it was so appealing to me, because there is a learning curve. With a learning curve and with the programs they have available, as long as we are in the program and participating, there is no cost.?
Ottman said the city is trying to create a partnership with downtown businesses to let them help make decisions.
‘We can’t micromanage their business, but we need to help them use whatever leverage that the city can with Main Street Oakland County,? she said.
The program offers consulting services worth more than $28,000, she said.
A Needs Assessment examines revitalization programs. Manager Orientation and Main Street 101 is for local program managers and boards representing new MSOC communities.’It also includes an overview of the ‘Main Street 4-Point Approach? to downtown revitalization.
An inter-disciplinary team of 4-5 people study the downtown and local programs, and makes recommendations. Each team is designed to meet specific needs and circumstances of each community’s downtown.
They also provide on-site assistance to provide new information and solve problem. Annual evaluation by MSOC. They provide feedback about successes and offer suggestions for improvement and future projects.
If the city decides to join fully the MSOC program, creation of a DDA as well as hiring a DDA director would be required. Funding would be included in the regular budget process, Ottman said.
‘Hopefully by then we’ll have a lot more wiggle room,’she said. ‘That’s why it’s so important to plan 5-10 years down the road, not just next year.?