This article was originally published in the October 2017 Trenton Downtowner.
Greater Trenton recently unveiled its 2017-2020 strategic plan.
Formed in 2015 by engaged Trenton area stakeholders, Greater Trenton is nonprofit promoting the economic revitalization of New Jersey’s capital city.
The initiative is guided by a board of directors representing the following organizations that have made a multi- year commitment and funding: NJM Insurance Group, Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton Area Community Foundation, Investors Bank, TD Bank, Capital Health, PSEG, Thomas Edison State University, Wells Fargo Bank, Princeton University, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
In 2016, the organization hired its first executive director, George Sosa, former executive vice president and senior managing director for Brandywine Realty Trust, one of the nation’s largest publicly traded real estate companies and the developer of Campbell Soup Company’s Gateway District in Camden.
According to a statement by co-chairs NJM CEO Bernard Flynn and Kaufman Zita Group Senior Vice President Anthony “Skip” Cimino, Greater Trenton’s mission “is to facilitate the development and revitalization of downtown Trenton by serving as an expert resource to businesses, developers, and community partners. Operating as an independent, privately funded, non-partisan organization, Greater Trenton collaborates with all levels of government as well as businesses and non-profit entities to promote the city’s assets and opportunities with a keen focus on the downtown core.”
Noting that Greater Trenton grew out of conversations begun in 2013 with 30 individuals interested in the Trenton’s revitalization, the coordinators say, “We returned to them during our planning process to ask for their ideas, and we expanded our outreach to new partners and neighbors, distilling their feedback, ideas, and aspirations for Trenton into a strategic plan to guide our work” and “articulates our mission framework and maps six strategic goals that are designed to catalyze — and sustain — development in the capital city.”
Those six goals are:
1. Marketing: We will market Trenton and Greater Trenton to call attention to our great city. We’ll do this by:
Implementing a branding and marketing plan to promote Trenton’s revitalization and to further establish Greater TrentonPromoting Trenton’s arts, culture, history, and development — everything that makes Trenton a unique and wonderful place.
2. Partnerships: We will support partners and coordinate efforts to address community needs and take advantage of opportunities for growth. We’ll do this by:
Developing and maintaining our partnerships with representatives from the city, county, state, and federal government, community, and civic organizations, educational institutions, businesses, and residentsMaintaining our strong relationship with Trenton’s city administration to advance shared goalsServing as a connector and convener of diverse stakeholders to match and strengthen partnershipsSupporting our partners’ projects and success.
3. Safety: We will support efforts to address safety and security concerns. We’ll do this by:
Prioritizing and supporting, in partnerships with police and other stakeholders, responses to safety and security issuesSupporting business development in concentrated business areasPromoting welcoming, clean, and safe streets.
4. Business concierge services: We will provide one-stop support and assistance for existing and prospective developers, investors, brokers, and businesses. We’ll do this by:
Conducting outreach to prospective businessesSupporting welcoming processes and practices for new businessesEstablishing a database of available building inventory, land sites, and properties, including incentives for developmentProviding one-stop, individualized support for developers, investors, brokers, and businesses to help them navigate the process of doing business in Trenton.”
5. Project support and coordination: We will support priority projects and improve the fundamentals that are necessary for development, such as parking, licensing, and finding financing. We’ll do this by:
Supporting revitalization projects that are planned and/or already underway in TrentonLeading and participating in market studies to inform projects that will catalyze development throughout the cityResponding to opportunities and challenges that arise.
6. Sustainability: We will invest in Greater Trenton’s organizational sustainability to make sure we are ready to contribute to Trenton’s revitalization for years to come. We’ll do this by:
Supporting our board of directors and staff to maximize individual and collective effortsEstablishing advisory committees to engage more stakeholders, particularly Trenton residents, to guide us and to nurture future leadersIncreasing our capacity to build out business services and community engagementCompleting evaluations and strategy reviews to track our progress, make adjustments, and communicate about our lessons learned and outcomes.
According to Greater Trenton leaders, the strategic plan builds on the recent work of “developing a sustainable organization that extends beyond the short term by entering partnerships that will make a positive contribution to Trenton’s economic vitality for years to come. For example, Greater Trenton was recently selected by Mayor Jackson and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency as the sole designated Housing Sponsor and Borrower for Trenton’s $11.5 million Urban Blight Reduction Pilot Program. In addition, Greater Trenton is the sole private signatory and participant included in a NJ Economic Development Authority Memorandum of Understanding . . . an agreement to identify and detail development sites of consequence in Trenton’s downtown district. These partnerships support residential, commercial and mixed-use development opportunities and, when viewed through the broader lens of nearly $700 million worth of new initiatives undertaken by the state in collaboration with the city’s administration, it suggests meaningful progress is at hand.”
Organizers also say Sowa has been promoting Trenton through more than 75 meetings and city tours with developers, real estate brokers, bankers, and CEOs to show how Trenton “is positioned to meet a variety of needs serving as a walkable, transit-orientated urban area, poised to attract new residents and create jobs while continuing to maintain affordability and opportunities for existing residents and businesses.”
Citing historic precedent and optimism, Greater Trenton leaders say “The historic pivot in the American Revolution occurred on the streets of Trenton 240 years ago. We believe another historic pivot is beginning right now!”
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