Plan Ensures Central Corridor Businesses Aren’t Left On Their Own

As the planned Central Corridor LRT project moves ahead, many small businesses along the route feel a great sense of urgency about how they will survive the construction and thrive after the line is operating.

Since late last year, a small group of committed volunteers has been busy at work developing a plan specifically aimed at helping Central Corridor businesses and property owners take action to:

Prepare for the impact of Light Rail Transit  
Survive during periods of construction
Thrive after the line becomes operational in 2014.

Since I wrote about the group’s formation last October, the renamed Business Resources Collaboration (BRC) has developed a comprehensive work plan that addresses three general areas of need: Construction Mitigation, Business Support, and Economic Development.

For each area, the plan sets supporting objectives, identifies initiatives already under way, and specifies additional actions that need to be carried out. Lead organizations have been identified to meet those objectives, and at least some of the needed resources are in hand, though more will be required to deliver the full plan.

The BRC as a group will not deliver any services, but instead, will play a coordinating and oversight function to ensure that the partners deliver on their roles — including keeping local businesses and property owners informed about resources available to help them. 

While the BRC member organizations (see sidebar) may have different agendas, we have all come together with a common commitment: that the businesses will know they are not alone through this construction project.

In the coming weeks, the plan will be formally introduced to the business community and the broader public.

 
Jim Roth, BRC Co-Chair
Executive Director of the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers