Panama City Cultural Heritage Tourism District

• Develop a plan to preserve the cultural heritage of the DTNCRA through establishing an African American Cultural District based on community outreach and feedback.

• Develop a grant stacking program to leverage revenues with matching grants for African American heritage tourism.

• Introduce viable procedures for the Cultural Heritage District to cultivate sustainability by working with the African American Cultural Center, the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, the National Heritage Cultural Center, the National Black Chamber of Commerce, the Glenwood Community Center, the A.D. Harris Learning Village, community residents and property owners.

• Develop a distinguishable Cultural District along MLK Blvd. to include but not limited to the area between 15th St. and 11th St. 

• All goals are to reflect the CRA plan and community input. In undertaking planning activities, the consultants shall explore potential public and private partnerships, and identify financial tools, incentives, marketing strategies, and meaningful connectivity opportunities between various project components. Projects may include development of historic tours, a performing arts theater, festivals and events, art classroom space, community gardens, artist live/work studios, green way / open spaces, residential and retail spaces, arts education, or other components the consultants identify. The engagement of the youth in the community is a critical aspect of the project. Studies relating to commerce, culture, community and education to evoke influence and knowledge to the community in the Cultural District should also be considered. 

• Collaborate with Bay District Schools, civic, governmental, private parties, Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, National Heritage Cultural Center, and the National Black Chamber of Commerce to initiate the African American Cultural District through history, historic preservation, arts, and culture. 

• Identify the feasibility of a variety of affordable live/work accommodations needed by artists that are sufficiently capitalized to ensure future sustainability.

• Create a mixed use "Downtown North Neighborhood Town Center" upon the existing Glenwood Community Center facility that introduces new activities and uses, serving as a focal point for the entire community.

• Recommend appropriate development scenarios to encourage investments that will attract and/or leverage new or proposed projects.

• Leverage the historic African American Cultural Center, A.D. Harris Learning Village adn other venues as cultural development catalysts for the entire DTN district as well as build on natural relationships with the Downtown, Millville and St. Andrews CRA districts.

• Identify opportunities to grow a creative and sustainable economy in the community.

• Create opportunities for local residents to access historic resources, the  arts, and culture in their own community (ie online forum).

• Identify how history, arts, and culture could promote workforce development among neighborhood residents.

• Identify opportunities for programming that reflects the unique and rich history of the Cultural District.

• Explore and reflect national models proven to positively affect community revitalization efforts through historic reinvestment and identify similar opportunities for the community.

• Identify opportunities to distinguish the Cultural District as a unique, historic, and arts centered community through programming and places that will help stabilize the community, retain and attract new residents, and attract additional private business investments.

• Create a collaborative effort to support development of a Cultural and Heritage Trail.

• Develop community wide marketing/audience engagement activities, such as e-marketing opportunities by interest, incentives, contests, cross marketing, and sampler packaging.

• Adopt a comprehensive model of outreach and measurement for tourism impacts.

• Assist with a publicity and outreach to promote events and the program as a whole. 

• List potential organizations with which the CRA, the African American Cultural Center, Cultural District, Florida African Heritage Preservation Network, National Heritage Cultural Center, and the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the A.D. Harris Learning Village can partner with to promote, sponsor or host events/venues. 

• Prepare and submit a final written report identifying and evaluating event successes, community supported ideas, general findings, areas of concern, opportunities identified, lessons learned and recommendations for future strategies and tactics. This final written report will include information form the Feasibility Study, Master Implementation Plan, Replicable Community Model, events and meetings, partnership collaboration and data collected from the online forum managed by the consultant.

• Conduct three public outreach meetings that include educational components and are measurable

• Prepare a feasibility study that examines the range of public and private investments that could sustain a vibrant, historic, arts centered community in the Cultural District. This study shall reflect the public feedback documented in the public outreach meetings.

• Use existing baseline data for pre-development analysis.

• Work with professionals to develop real estate scenarios to explore needs, assets, and market opportunities. 

• Conduct and provide a report on visioning exercises to yield potential real estate scenarios and preliminary designs for sites determined to have the greatest potential. 

• Identify the appropriate mix of housing, retail, and open space particularly tailored to the historic, artistic, and cultural venues proposed at any site.

• Identify and report opportunities to connect existing cultural assets outside of the Cultural District to the existing, emerging, or potential efforts and/or venues within the targeted community of the Cultural District. 

• Research and highlight similar successful projects in other parts of the country to learn lessons from their experience and to inform opportunities in the community.

• Develop a Master Implementation Plan and identify the stakeholders that must be engaged for successful implementation. This plan shall be based on feedback gathered from the public outreach process. 

• Determine the short term, mid term, and long term efforts to be undertaken to enhance the history, arts, and culture in the community and identify the stakeholders who are best equipped to initiate their implementation.

Where local history, arts, and culture all come together! Here you will find information on the Panama City Downtown North Community Redevelopment Agency's visionary project to create a cultural heritage district in one of the City's historical urban neighborhoods.