There are five strategic areas of activity involved in the Main Street approach.  Contact us to get involved at 410.282.0261 or drc@dundalkusa.org.

1. Organization
Building consensus and cooperation among the many groups and individuals who have a role in the revitalization process 

Volunteers are essential for the vitality of our Main Street and our broader community.  In the process of making improvements to our community, volunteer activities also embody the positive community spirit that revitalization seeks to create.  This is what DRC's volunteer corps, Team Dundalk, is all about.

Volunteering is a means for citizens to improve Dundalk rather than simply complaining, and to confront problems by developing proposals for potential solutions. 

DRC's volunteer Board of Directors provides overall strategic direction in conjunction with our Main Street Committees, and DRC's staff works with the Board and Committees and to implement programs and assemble the necessary resources.  We are always looking to our base of volunteers to get even more deeply engaged and provide new leadership on our Board of Directors.


2. Promotion 
Marketing the traditional commercial district's assets to customers, potential investors, new businesses, local citizens and visitors 
 
Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the Main Street district.  An effective promotional strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers. These activities improve consumer and investor confidence in the district and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area.

DRC has initiated an outdoor movie series, a Family Fall Festival, and a Holiday Lighting Ceremony and Cookie Tour of Main Street businesses with support from sponsors, BAltimore County, and the State.  Partnerships with other organizations who hold events in our Main Street help each activity have a greater impact on revitalization goals, be it extensive Team Dundalk volunteer support for setting up the Heritage Fair, or cross-promoting each group's events. 

Marketing Dundalk’s unique characteristics as a well planned, mixed-use, walkable community with a town center that hosts outdoor movies, concerts in two parks, a farmer's market, an art show, parades, fairs, and festivals is a major area of activity for DRC staff and volunteers.  These activities also help us attract potential homebuyers and businesses, who then have greater confidence to invest in Dundalk.

3. Design
Enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district, building on its historic character, and making the district more inviting.   

Dundalk’s historic Main Street buildings and town plan are among the State’s most valuable resources and are part of a National Register Historic District.  With architectural styles as diverse as our residents, these buildings and carefully integrated parks and adjacent houses add variety and richness to our Main Street, giving us our unique sense of place and underscoring the small-town feel that each of us create over and over with one another.

Design involves "big" projects such as the renovation of the apartments above the Dundalk Village Shopping Center, in which JMJ Properties created 56 market-rate apartments where dilapidated subsidized units used to be with $4 million in County support, or the County's streetscaping of Dundalk Avenue.

But Design also involves "small" projects: An inviting atmosphere, created through attractive window displays, parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping, conveys a positive visual message about the commercial district and what it has to offer.  Fresh paint and new awnings installed by JMJ Properties in 2008 enhance the feel of the Main Street; a patriotic storefront decorating competition demonstrates business unity, engagement with the community, and pride. 

Baltimore County and Main Street Maryland provide grant funds to support the landscaping of the shopping center; the replacement of trash cans and benches; matching grants for new business signage and other facade improvements; and the installation and display of holiday lights.

4. Economic Restructuring 
Strengthening the district's existing economic base while finding ways to expand it to meet new opportunities and challenges from outlying development

Economic Restructuring is about sharpening the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruiting compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today's consumers' needs. Converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district.

Within the Dundalk Main Street, we seek to identify resources and support for current businesses to retain them and make them more successful, including improved business planning, efficiency of operations, marketing, and promotion, and offer small business seminars.  We also work to recruit new businesses.  We host and help support the Historic Dundalk Main Street Merchants Association.  Finally, we serve as a liason between Business Owners, Baltimore County Small Business Resource Center, Baltimore County Department of Economic Development, and the State of Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

The renovations of the Dundalk Village Shopping Center also assists in business development by introducing new residential customers with more money to spend, and new storefront spaces that meet the needs of today’s consumers’.  The renovation of the Dundalk YMCA and its rebirth as a community Center will also contribute to a new mix of visitors to the Main Street.  It is our hope that vacant and underutilized buildings in the Main Street, such as the old Annex and Delawder Halls owned by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, will soon become active contributors to the vitality of our businesses as well. 

5. Clean, Safe, and Green
Enhancing the perception of a neighborhood through the principles of Smart Growth and sustainability
 
Main Street Maryland added this fifth component to the Main Street Approach in 2008, and for Dundalk, this simply reflected and reinforced strategies DRC was already pursuing: highlighting our walkability, transit access, and parks; promoting a cleaner Main Street through regular community clean-ups involving our Team Dundalk volunteer corps; and planting trees throughout the Main Street and in the surrounding neighborhoods to further enhance our image as a green community.

DRC has also sought to promote and advocate for green building strategies in large public development projects such as the YMCA renovation and the two new high schools proposed.  We also incorporate green building approaches into our house renovations.

Maryland Maple Street Designation in 2008
DRC obtained a State "Maple Street" designation for the neighborhoods within and adjacent to our Main Street District in June, 2008, which also reinforces our integrated approach to community revitalization, involving housing and main street efforts.  Funds obtained through this designation have paid for tree plantings, a house tour, and the development of this website to help market the community and main street.

No one else can save your Main Street!  We welcome your involvement, and we challenge you to help us implement the initiatives you propose and address the needs that you see.