We envision a thriving district of collaborative partners who embody community as an essential component of a vibrant and resilient Downtown Hillsboro, with HDP serving as the conduit for connections, engagement, and idea-realization.
Our mission is to cultivate and amplify a vibrant Downtown Hillsboro community.
This is our 2021/22 fiscal year Strategic Recovery Plan.
This strategic plan is not a long-term plan, and it may appear ambitious for just a 13-month period, but we know that this is our opportunity to ride the wave of recovery and the national movement to address inequities in our society. When we have fully implemented this recovery plan, we will be ready to launch our first-ever five-year strategic business plan and be the lead partner in curating a community of residents, businesses, and property owners that are diverse, connected, resilient, and ready to be the most well-regarded Main Street district in Oregon.
As our organization began to hit its stride heading into 2020, we were struck by both the Covid pandemic and the discontinuation of the funding that we had depended on for our first five years of operation. As we struggled to find our footing in this upturned world, opportunities and community support spurred us into a forward momentum that was equivalent to pre-pandemic times.
We acknowledge that we need to focus a significant part of our efforts on continuing to build a solid foundation and sustainable funding sources, but we also have had the opportunity through Federally backed funding to pilot several programs that we anticipate having long-lasting positive impacts on Downtown: parklets, a food cart lot, artist window takeovers, new decorative banners, and relationships with new partners.
We are excited to be part of the new Cultural Arts District and to have become a trusted partner of the Hillsboro Chamber. As newly established fiscal sponsors of both the Tuesday Market and our Farmers’ Market, we have pride in our role as a community development nonprofit and the benefits that our 501(c)3 status can bring to Downtown. If we did this well during the pandemic, we are excited to see what we can do in both the near and distant future.
Four overarching strategies and 15 goals tackle some high-priority needs of both our organization and our district that we have identified as feasible in this time period. We have also included a few of the components that we see as essential to the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan in the vision notes at the end of each strategy section.
We will continue creating a sustainable organization, maintaining our current levels of service, and establishing a celebrated presence in our community.
OBSERVATIONS
GOAL 1.1 Restructure the organization to match our status.
Action 1.1.1 Amend legal filings with the State to reflect our current structure.
Action 1.1.2 Update Bylaws.
Action 1.1.3 Develop and adopt applicable governance policies (Governance Policy Manual).
GOAL 1.2 Commit to addressing equity, diversity, inclusivity, accessibility, and justice throughout our work and with our partners.
Action 1.2.1 Recruit new board members to fill all vacancies while diversifying our leadership and distributing the governance workload.
Action 1.2.2 Create a meetup where our people and partners can openly discuss racism and equity in a safe and constructive format, with training and facilitation when appropriate.
Action 1.2.3 Launch a program to intentionally engage teens in the Downtown community.
GOAL 1.3 Assess our funding goals and potential funding sources.
Action 1.3.1 Develop and pilot innovative fundraising strategies that can be rolled into the strategic plan.
Action 1.3.2 Determine the appropriate level of funding to request from the City and present an intentional funding proposal.
Action 1.3.3Continue engagement with a grant writer to pursue operational and program funding from foundations.
Action 1.3.4 Continue to develop sponsorship relationships to fund events and programs.
GOAL 1.4 Adopt our 2027 Strategic Business Plan.
Action 1.4.1 Develop and adopt goals and actions through an equity lens to strategically lead us through the next three to five years.
We will continue our work to keep Downtown clean and safe while expanding our placemaking efforts and engaging local artists in project development.
OBSERVATIONS
GOAL 2.1 Create a Downtown Physical Asset Guide.
Action 2.1.1 Complete inventory and mapping of physical assets within the public spaces.
Action 2.1.2 Work with partners to create a resource that outlines responsibilities and schedules for maintaining common areas and public amenities. Ensure the guidelines clarify roles and responsibilities.
GOAL 2.2 Create a Downtown Naturescape Guide.
Action 2.2.1 Work with partners to create a resource that outlines how to best create and maintain environmentally conscious natural areas and features throughout Downtown. Ensure the guidelines clarify roles and responsibilities.
Action 2.2.2 Work with partners to install the first phase of updates to the streetscapes.
Action 2.2.3 Work with partners to plant as many street trees as possible as soon as feasible Downtown to demonstrate our commitment to the Tree City USA designation.
GOAL 2.3. Continue maintaining the public spaces with the intention of making all feel welcome.
Action 2.3.1 Work with stakeholders to create incremental strategies for safe public toilets/restrooms that address the needs of all visitors to the historical core.
Action 2.3.2 Sustain existing programs that remove litter and graffiti, with both paid and volunteer staffing.
Action 2.3.3 Continue expanding and innovating our seasonal activation of common spaces with planters, décor, lighting, and temporary art installations.
Action 2.3.4 Maintain existing decorative lighting and continue looking at new ways to light up the district for shoppers and pedestrians.
We will develop and implement the programs that support communication between Downtown stakeholders, with inclusion, engagement, and collaboration at the forefront.
OBSERVATIONS
GOAL 3.1 Maintain an existing level of marketing and storytelling for the district.
Action 3.1.1 Maintain and continue to update the Downtown Hillsboro website and content.
Action 3.1.2 Maintain and monitor Downtown Hillsboro's social platforms.
Action 3.1.3 Continue to build relationships with organizers of community events Downtown.
GOAL 3.2 Develop a Communication Guide.
Action 3.2.1 Identify ways to quickly and effectively connect with the stakeholder groups from which we most frequently need feedback and engagement.
Action 3.2.2 Develop and begin implementing internal guidelines that ensure communication can easily flow between Downtown stakeholders and ensure that diverse voices are given opportunities to be heard.
GOAL 3.3 Update HDP Brand Guide.
Action 3.3.1 Make revisions and additions to our brand guide to reflect changes since it was adopted four years ago and ensure that it has been looked at through an inclusive lens.
GOAL 3.4 Develop a scope of work for the development of a Downtown Marketing Plan.
Action 3.4.1 Work with partners to develop a scope of work for creating and adopting a Downtown Hillsboro Brand and the associated Marketing Plan, using placemaking and place keeping practices that engage individuals with a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
We will take advantage of economic recovery trends and the opportunity to keep building on our current momentum to recruit more investors and businesses.
OBSERVATIONS
GOAL 4.1 Continue efforts to support post-pandemic business recovery.
Action 4.1.1 Continue providing resources, as they come available, specific to helping existing businesses recover from the pandemic.
GOAL 4.2 Continue efforts to attract local businesses and investors to Downtown.
Action 4.2.1 Maintain existing programs that match businesses interested in moving or expanding to Downtown with resources.
Action 4.2.2 Maintain existing programs that match interested investors and developers to opportunities in Downtown.
Action 4.2.3 Launch a local entrepreneur cultivation program, that matches local entrepreneurs with resources, business development opportunities, and ongoing support.
GOAL 4.3 Continue providing advocacy and resources to help existing Downtown businesses.
Action 4.3.1 Continue tracking needs and responding to requests for support from businesses as they work to sustain and grow.
Action 4.3.2 Maintain current database of Downtown properties and stakeholders.
Action 4.3.3 Continue Excellence in Downtown Hillsboro Awards program, as well as submit Downtown agents as nominees for other awards.
Action 4.3.4 Create and distribute a parking resource guide for Downtown employers.
Action 4.3.5 Work with stakeholders to create an incremental strategy for business waste that addresses a majority of the existing issues.
As we created this plan to encompass this period of recovery and social growth, many topics kept rising to the surface that we know we are not quite able to tackle. We broke out some components that fit into our current strategy to help lay the groundwork, but we wanted to make sure that our hopes and intentions for the future are clear, so we included some of those big ideas and wishes here.
Many of these we will champion, some we may just need to advocate for, and the rest we hope to find strong partners to support as they are brought to fruition. We also want to acknowledge these visions in case opportunities become available to move on any of them before we have adopted a long-term strategic plan.
