The strategies DTSB uses to achieve its overall goal of making downtown South Bend a great place to work, play, live and shop are organized into eight focus areas: Organization, Business Recruitment, Design & Land Use, Marketing & Promotions, Safety, Neighborhood Relations, Finance Development, and Redevelopment. Below find the goals and strategies in each of the focus categories.

Goal #1: To be the lead organization to promote the growth and vitality of Downtown South Bend

Strategies: Maintain a board and committees; provide centralized office and management and adequate staffing, database development and management, and limited parking lot management.

Progress: 30-Member Board and working committees; fully-functioning office with three full-time and one part-time staff; 501 C(6) Status; shared office space with Notre Dame School of Architecture and Notre Dame Community Relations.

Goal #2: To create an environment to encourage first floor retail and office investment in downtown South Bend.

Strategies: Provide market information and list of all up-to-date properties on the Downtown Website, provide business packets with market information to potential new investors, quarterly monitor and distribute inventory of ground floor "retail" space, pro-actively advertise opportunities (in trade magazines/newspapers) for new investments in downtown, proactively and reactively work with potential new "retail" investors in downtown, and reactively work with potential new "office" investors in downtown.

Progress: Commercial Real Estate section on the Downtown Website; Examples of new business or expansion include: The South Bend Community School Corporation's acquisition of the former IBM Building for a new corporate office; the move of McGladrey & Pullen LLP and RSM McGladrey into the Leighton Plaza; the development of The Woodward; Nextel's move into the old Fannie May store at 101 N. Michigan Street; and the expansion of the Chocolate Café.

Goal #3: To establish urban values by promoting and fostering communication to bring about good design, project transparency, and provoking thought and visions for Downtown South Bend.

Strategies: Organize beautification initiatives; administer façade and streetscape grants, and present design and landscape awards.

Progress: Past beautification projects include: hanging flower baskets along Michigan Street, flower beds and tree rings along Michigan Street and surrounding areas, new benches, trash receptacles, and flower pots, landscaping in Morris Plaza, landscaping of triangular median in front of Navarre Place, and Holiday Decorations. Further the DTSB Façade Grant Program has helped create a better looking downtown with the renovations of several buildings/businesses. Some examples are: LaSalle Grill, Fiddlers Hearth, Van Horne Jewelers, McCormick's, Budney Building, East Race Emporium, Madison Oyster Bar, Circa Arts Gallery, Gates Chevy World, Robertson's Building, and Higher Grounds.

Goal #4: To market Downtown South Bend as a premier destination to live, work, shop and play.

Strategies: Communications include informational faxing, press releases, Website development, public relations include stakeholder meetings, a summer ambassador program, advertising includes image/branding, coordination of group advertising, and promotions include coordination of special events and promotions.

Progress: Branding Downtown South Bend as a place to Work, Play, Live and Shop has been the primary focus of the extensive image campaign for downtown through the use of Radio, TV, Newspaper and Specialty Magazines. Also, the promotion of special events in downtown, the downtown dollars gift certificate program, Shop & Play guide, and the DTSB Website with information for residents, visitors, potential developers and new businesses markets the downtown area as a premier destination in South Bend.

Goal #5: To improve the perception of safety through concentrated and highly visible initiatives.

Strategy: To provide an on-going ambassador program.

Progress: Successful "Pilot" Ambassador Program in 2004; working on a permanent seasonal program for 2005.

Goal #6: To make downtown neighborhoods - including core commercial districts - more attractive places to live and to increase residential opportunities in the downtown area.

Strategy: Provide communication network with neighborhood liaisons.

Progress: Attended and presented information to meetings of neighborhood groups about DTSB and its services; encouraged two-way communication; DTSB Website pages dedicated to neighborhood communication.

Goal #7: To create a funding mechanism of both public and private dollars to support sustain the organization.

Strategies: Provide leadership for the development of a Business Improvement District (BID).

Progress: Currently approaching building owners to fund a 5-year BID at $500,000 per year in order to continue the capital improvements, physical improvements, business recruitment and revitalization programs.

Goal #8: To actively participate with the city developers and investors in downtown redevelopment.

Strategy: Actively participate in redevelopment and business expansion projects; participate in the RFP process for public properties.

Progress: Working on partnership with the city to encourage the purchase and renovation of the former LaSalle Hotel; working with the city on the Baker & Daniels project which entails a class "A" office complex with parking garage and retail on first floor; working with a number of business owners in smaller redevelopment projects.