Is A Main Street Program Appropriate for Mattapan? - Tufts University

CHaPTeR I:
InTRoDUCTIon
This report was prepared for the Mattapan Community Development Corporation
(MCDC) with the purpose of analyzing the applicability and potential
of a Main Street program in Boston’s neighborhood of Mattapan . MCDC
requested that the analysis concentrate on business development, national
and local Main Street programs, and community connections in relation to
Mattapan and the neighborhood’s business districts of Morton Street and
Mattapan Square .
A Main Street program is a comprehensive, community-driven methodology
used to revitalize local economies through the empowerment of local
businesses and residents . In the city of Boston, numerous neighborhoods
have adopted the Main Street program to enhance commercial districts and
promote economic opportunity . The Mattapan Community Development
Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to planning, convening
and advocating for all people who live or work in Mattapan, commissioned
this analysis subsequent to the city of Boston’s renewed interest in
the economic revitalization of Mattapan, known as the Mattapan Economic
Development Initiative (MEDI) . In the spring of 2003, Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority initiated MEDI to assess
and direct future growth in Mattapan . The completion of the MEDI report in
June of 2006 laid a foundation for further research and analysis of a Main
Street program in Mattapan .
Our report begins by introducing the historic and contemporary backdrop
of Mattapan’s community, itemizes community assets and exposes common
themes of the neighborhood . It then addresses the business-related
landscape in Mattapan by presenting the commercial history and highlighting
the present points-of-view of various stakeholders such as the business
associations, business owners, residents and others . Then, it continues
with a summary of the National Main Street program through a literature
review, providing its history, an explanation of the Main Street approach to
economic development, and an evaluation of the success of the program .
The next section focuses specifically on the Main Street program administered
in Boston, concentrating on its organizational structure, the selection
process, funding availability and an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness
.
Following this, a collection of conducted interviews were organized into the
sixth section, titled Local Main Street Districts and Interviews . This section
provides an overview of the Main Street program through the eyes and
experiences of executive directors throughout Boston . Succeeding this, the
report suggests a range of recommendations on the applicability of Main
Streets in Mattapan, discusses how MCDC can capitalize on community
themes and assets in the community and concludes with overall recom-
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mendations to MCDC .
The information, analysis and recommendations of this report derive from a
series of interviews, a focus group, and meetings with Main Street program
affiliates, Boston city officials and employees, businesses, community organizations
and residents from Mattapan . Social, economic, and planning data
utilized in this report derives from the Mattapan Economic Development
Initiative of 2006, research conducted by the Rappaport Institute for Greater
Boston, and the United States Bureau of the Census for the year 2000 . Additional
information was obtained through various forms of literature cited at
the conclusion of this report .