Ortonville – Downtown Development Authority Chair Person Robert Renchik says now is the chance for residents and business owners to reshape the future of Ortonville.
Taking part in the push to be approved for the “Main Street” program, Renchik said will have a positive impact that could last not for the next 10 or 15 years, but the next 100.
“It’s important to emphasize that this project is a vision for the future,” said Renchik.
“This is everyone’s opportunity to do whatever they can do by volunteering their expertise in making a vision toward the future.”
“A grass-roots, citizen driven effort by the community so that this thing actually works.
Renchik is talking about now being the time for ‘all hands on deck” to move forward on to the next step of the Oakland County Main Street project for Ortonville.
“The real thing here is whether it’s phone calls or whatever (engineering), the community has the control to make this what they want it to be,” he said.
The ‘Main Street’ program is a four-strategy approach to revitalize the economic health of downtown areas.
Through partnership organization, creative promotions, enhanced design and economic restructuring, the program targets helping communities bring downtown areas back to life, with an emphasis on economic development focusing on historic preservation.
Main Street of Oakland County is in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has been successful in revitalizing more than 1,600 downtown areas within 40 states, since 1980.
Locally, the most recent successes can be found within the cornerstones of Royal Oak, Holly, Ferndale, and Rochester.
While the ‘Main Street’ concept is a nationally partnered program, revitalizing Ortonville falls under the umbrella of Oakland County Main Street program, directed by Robert Donohue who states that Ortonville has the specific potential to make Main Street a success.
Donohue said it takes an entire community’s commitment to the program in order to bring success for economic development, land use zoning, and environmental stewardship. The county’s role would be to will provide technical assistance and training strategies.
Since the ‘Main Street’ concept was first introduced to Ortonville and Brandon, in April 2001 and again at the town meeting in Nov. 2001, Village Manager Paul Zelenak has been meeting other Main Street groups, attending seminars, to gather data and sharing ideas of what will specifically quality for this community.
“I’ve also been meeting with business owners who are looking to make improvements,” he said as he described the enthusiasm of merchants eager to attract commerce to the downtown area. .
“Look at Bonner’s, Hamilton’s, and Thompson’s,” said Zelenak.
“They already made improvements to the facades of their buildings.”
In addition, for the past year Zelenak and the DDA have been gathering data, attending Main Street seminars, both locally and nationally, and obtaining project commitments from Brandon and Groveland townships.
In order to begin what Zelenak says is an excruciatingly detailed application process for acceptance as a ‘Main Street’ community, by Oakland County, several things need to be in place first.
“Now is the time to move forward on this,” said Zelenak.
“We need impact and enthusiasm to get this project going as a Main Street Community.”
Currently the DDA is hoping to organize four committees to specialize in elements of the application which would include researching economic restructuring, studying downtown design, and implementing goals and objectives for strategic planning.
To sign up for any of the committees call the village office at (248) 627-4976.
The plan
Organization: Partnerships among bankers, city officials, merchants, citizens and others.
Promotion: Creating a positive image of the business district to attract customers and investors to rekindle community pride.
Design: Enhancing the visual quality of the business district, including buildings, storefronts, signs, public improvements, landscaping, merchandising displays, and promotional materials.
Economic Restructuring: Strengthening the existing economic assets of the business district while diversifying its economic base.

DDA Committee purpose
Organization: Need people to present a broad public and private representation, communication; explore financial options, fiscal responsibility; develop proactive leadership, strategic planning, clarify mission; establish goals and objectives, and implementation.
Design: Need people with community values to explore natural environment, community structure, infrastructure, parking, urban and architectural character, historic resources, physical planning, site development, plans and codes, and maintenance.
Promotion: Needs people to identify market identification, public relations, visual identity, slogan and logos, community programs, cultural program, events and activities, education, advertising, media and publicity, and sponsorship
Economic Restructuring: Need people to identify broad retail, service and housing, healthy competition; business retention, expansion, attraction, and recruitment; marketing potential, financial incentives, refill and infill development, adaptive reuse, developer selection, and infrastructure.