Study to Determine Retail Demand — Elkhart River District https://www.elkhartriverdistrict.com/news/2020/8/31/study-to-determine-...

August 31, 2020

STUDY TO DETERMINE
RETAIL DEMAND

FINDINGS TO HELP EXISTING AND NEW RETAILERS BE

SUCCESSFUL
By RASMUS S. JORGENSEN rjorgensen@elkharttruth.com (https://www.elkharttruth.com/users
/profile/RasmusSJorgensen)
Aug 31, 2020 Updated Sep 1, 2020

ELKHART — What retail should Elkhart’s River District and Main Street offer in the future? That
is the question being asked in a study over the next three months, as local residents and business
owners have a chance to weigh in.The River District Implementation Team has contracted Gibbs
Planning Group to conduct the study, which includes six focus group meetings this week. There are
still available spots.Shelley Moore, who is on the implementation team, said the main goal of the
study is to help existing independent businesses flourish. Secondly, the new knowledge should help
attract the type of retail that can be successful in the designated areas, which include the River
District, downtown and Main Street as far south as Mishawaka Road.

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Study to Determine Retail Demand — Elkhart River District https://www.elkhartriverdistrict.com/news/2020/8/31/study-to-determine-...
The River District revitalization project is well underway, with the Elkhart Health & Aquatics
Center and the Stonewater apartments opening in 2019, and the new Matin’s Super Market and
another batch of apartments opening in October. The retail study is being conducted now, and not
several years ago, because it is easier to attract retail to a district when you have enough people living
there, Moore said.

“Some downtowns have focused on retail first,” she said. “When you don’t have people living
downtown, it’s really hard for them to get the kind of business they need.”

From 2019 to 2021, about 400 new apartments and condominiums will have become available
within the River District. A 2017 study by Zimmerman/Volk Associates found that the downtown
and River District area can support 680 to 880 new rental and for-sale housing units through 2022.

Preliminary results from Gibbs Planning Group, which is being paid $44,000 to conduct the study
and offer consulting services, found that full-service restaurants and clothing stores and in high
demand in the area, which on the other hand might not need more pharmacies and bar, Moore said.

After ranking the demand for different types of retail, Gibbs Planning will make estimates of what
revenue per square foot retailers can expect in different areas of the city. Following the study, Gibbs
Planning will be available to local retailers for a year to assist with advice on how to maximize
business in the River District and on Main Street

George Byers, the city’s assistant director for Community & Development, said the city wants to
make it easy to invest in Elkhart. This study helps with achieving that goal.

“The study is a tool that allows developers, investors and others to understand what would be
successful in that particular area of town,” he said.

It is also a tool for the city, as it works to make Elkhart an attractive place to live. With the new
information, the city can better direct its efforts on attracting the types of retail that would help
improve the city.

Three 45-minute focus group meetings are held Wednesday, Sept. 2, between 1 and 4:15 p.m.
Those groups will consist of young professionals, retail store owners and young families.

Thursday, Sept. 3, the focus groups will consist of city officials, restaurant owners and empty-nesters,
with 45-minute meetings between 8 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

Stakeholders who are interested in being a part of one of the focus groups, except the city official
group, are encouraged to submit a request to participate by emailing info@insightsc.com
(mailto:info@insightsc.com). Moore said it will be possible to participate through a video conference
call.

>>READ FULL ARTICLE (HTTPS://WWW.ELKHARTTRUTH.COM

/BUSINESS/STUDY-TO-DETERMINE-RETAIL-DEMAND

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Study to Determine Retail Demand — Elkhart River District https://www.elkhartriverdistrict.com/news/2020/8/31/study-to-determine-...
/ARTICLE_BBAF2C53-B7FA-5FBF-8177-
C27BE850E136.HTML)

>>VIEW FEATURE VIDEO

(HTTPS://CDN.FILESTACKCONTENT.COM
/SGZUJHB2QB2HNRVB1L1Z) WITH BOB GIBBS OF GIBBS
PLANNING - THE SELECTED EXPERT FOR THE ELKHART
RETAIL STUDY OF MAIN STREET, SOUTH MAIN AND THE
RIVER DISTRICT.

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