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Main Street survey: Newton downtown sees heavy visitation, residents prioritize restaurants and entertainment
Summary
Main Street coordinator Jen Layman told the commission nearly 900 people completed a downtown survey that found an estimated 200,000 unique visitors and a roughly 1.7 million annual downtown visits; respondents prioritized casual/family restaurants, breweries and family entertainment while citing train traffic and parking as top negatives.
Jen Layman, Newton’s Convention and Visitors Bureau and Main Street coordinator, presented results of a Main Street America and Kansas Main Street strategy visit and a community survey to the City Commission.
"We had almost 900 people in the community take it," Layman said, describing the survey response as strong. She reported data showing nearly 200,000 unique visitors to Newton’s downtown in a year and approximately 1.7 million visits annually, with average visit length about 95 minutes. Layman said visits have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Survey respondents typed open-ended comments that staff categorized; positive themes included shopping, cleanliness, quaintness and friendliness, while the most-cited negatives were the downtown train, parking and vacant storefronts. Layman said downtown currently has about an 18% storefront vacancy rate and staff are compiling a list of available spaces to recruit appropriate businesses.
Respondents were asked to choose their top three priorities; "casual and family restaurants" placed first, followed by brewery/winery/distillery options and family-oriented entertainment such as arcades or pottery studios. Layman said downtown has eight restaurants today and noted a recent county-level change to alcohol sales that may make beverage-related businesses more feasible.
Layman said Main Street’s three transformational strategies are to strengthen community engagement and pride, increase downtown vibrancy and foot traffic, and expand support for business and property owners. Committees for design, economic vitality and promotions will begin setting goals under those strategies, with implementation expected to be multi-year work.
Commissioners asked where the full data are available; staff said detailed survey results were included in the meeting packet (iCompass) and additional materials are available in the Main Street office. Layman said a small-business support guide and a January "Connect Downtown" event will help business owners review resources and offer feedback.
The presentation closed with commissioners thanking Layman; no formal vote was required for the presentation.
