Hastings has redeveloped its downtown through the Nebraska Main Street Program. It uses a four point approach to revitalize downtown and neighborhood business districts. It is known as a common-sense way to address the variety of issues and problems that challenge traditional business districts.

The four points are design, organization, promotion and economic restructuring. Hastings’ Community Redevelopment Authority has followed these points to create a strong downtown district.

“They have developed many tools that have helped their downtown to become vibrant,” Amundson said. “Where some retail centers are struggling, their downtown is thriving.”

Specifically, Hastings has developed its upper-level living opportunities downtown.

“Upper-level living is a big part of their success,” Amundson said. “We toured buildings in the downtown that have second and third floor living that are as nice, or nicer, than any home in a residential district.”

Then there’s the way Hastings goes about redeveloping its downtown. Its Community Redevelopment Authority has a vision for what Hastings’ downtown will look like. They know what type of businesses and buildings they want, not leaving anything up to chance.

“That’s something very different than what we’ve done in Norfolk, which has been: let development happen, and if it doesn’t happen, so be it,” Amundson said.

Restaurants are a vital part of downtown Hastings, ranging from the Back Alley Bakery to Jimmy John’s.

“There are plenty of business opportunities for restaurants,” Amundson said.

If there is a vacant building downtown, the Community Redevelopment Authority purchases the space and accepts proposals for a new business.

“They want people to come to them with their ideas,” Amundson said. “If the idea is a good idea, and it could benefit the downtown, then they may consider selling the building, or helping.”

Hastings also uses tax-increment financing for downtown projects, Amundson said.

With tax-increment financing, or TIF, the additional property taxes generated by the development improvements are used to pay for infrastructure costs for up to 15 years. The entities that previously collected property taxes continue to receive the same amount they did before the development. Once the infrastructure costs are paid, all of the additional property taxes go to the local government and all the other entities that collect property taxes.

“What that means is that as a property owner or investor is looking to make a project cash flow over a period of time, the TIF simply sweetens the deal. In many cases, it makes the difference between go and no-go on a redevelopment project.” Amundson said, adding that using TIF requires approval from the city government.

Norfolk’s Vehicle Parking District now is working on ways to incorporate these concepts locally, he said.

“We, as a community, have been doing three of those (Main Street Program) principles,” Amundson said.

The Vehicle Parking District itself falls under the “organization” point of the Main Street Program. The district promotes downtown, and has a revolving loan fund, which falls under the economic restructuring point.

But the district’ hasn’t been focusing on the design of Norfolk’s downtown, which is being thoughtful of what downtown looks like.

“I think that’s another step that we’ll be incorporating here in Norfolk,” Amundson said. “Bring us up a few notches.”

As far as condos go, the district feels Norfolk has a “good stock” of well-maintained, historic buildings that are well suited for living spaces with some modifications.

But that’s not the only way the Vehicle Parking District wants to improve downtown.

“Some of the things we’re (Vehicle Parking District) discussing right now is hiring a manager, somebody who has the time, the expertise and the skills to manage the downtown,” Amundson said. “Someone to help us move beyond thinking of this as as loose-knit grouping of property owners and business owners, and to thinking of it as a district that is bound together and working together.”

In early 2010, Amundson said he hopes the Vehicle Parking District board will act on some of these concepts to help make Norfolk’s downtown as vibrant as Hastings’ downtown.

“What Hastings has done, I think this is where we’re going in Norfolk,” Amundson said.