DDA Possibilities Plan
A plan to help downtown ferndale imagine its full potential.
Initiated in 2018, the Downtown Ferndale Possibilities Plan was designed to create better informed discussion, generate ideas, and help people visualize possibilities. Caring for existing resources is only one piece of the puzzle. Development can change the face of a community and visioning exercises like this can make space for big ideas before a development project is on the table.
The plan begins with a complete understanding of downtown through a parcel-by-parcel investigation, as well as an extensive inventory of all capital assets. It then uses this information along with stakeholder input to imagine downtown’s full potential and envision its future in both the near- and long-term. Deeply rooted in providing a cutting edge downtown experience, the Plan also aligns with the City’s Master Land Use Plan to assure the continued harmonious development throughout the downtown district and Ferndale as a whole.
DDA Possibilities Plan (2021) – scheduled for adoption in January 2021
Art Planning
Artwork sets the stage. Planning for how Downtown Ferndale can incorporate more art into our experience is a central goal for the future.
Experience Plan for ‘The dot’ Parking Development
This guiding plan was developed by Ideation Orange with feedback from the Downtown Development Authority, City of Ferndale, and the Ferndale Arts and Cultural Commission. To date the following elements have been implemented: entry mural, colored “dots” in stairwell and painted blocks near elevator bays to assist in wayfinding, hidden song lyrics on each floor.
Development/TIF Plans
The operations of the Ferndale DDA are guided by the Development/TIF Plan. The plan was last renewed in 2012 and runs through the end of 2022.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects. Through the use of TIF, municipalities typically divert future property tax revenue increases from a defined area or district toward an economic development project or public improvement project in the community.
In 2019, the Ferndale DDA began work on a Strategic Plan for Capital Improvement which will include an updated Development/TIF Plan. We expect this plan to be finalized and adopted in 2020. This updated plan will help us ensure that we are spending and saving tax money appropriately to best serve our community and help create a lively downtown with a mixture of uses.
2012 DDA TIF & Development Plan
DDA Strategic Plan
In conjunction with the annual budget process, the DDA also reviews and revises it’s Strategic Plan. By February, the organization and its committees have revised and updated the plan for the coming year. By March, the DDA Board of Directors approves the Strategic Plan and Budget for the coming fiscal year and the documents become part of the mapping system to Downtown Ferndale’s future.
Ferndale DDA Strategic Plan (Updated Jan 2018)
Retail Market Analysis
National Main Street Market Review & Business Recruitment Analysis 2016
Parking Analysis
Downtown Parking Study, 1995, Rich and Associates
Downtown Parking Study, 2006, Rich and Associates
Downtown Ferndale Parking Supply/Demand Study, 2015, Carl Walker