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Cary staff proposes $75,000 feasibility study for a downtown business alliance; council weighs town role vs. chamber-led approach
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Summary
Staff proposed contracting a $75,000 study to assess whether Cary should support forming a downtown business alliance and to outline implementation options; councilmembers debated whether the chamber or an MSD/business-improvement district model should lead and questioned whether town funds are the right source.
Interim Manager Russ Overton told council staff has budgeted $75,000 for a study to evaluate whether a downtown business alliance would be viable for Cary and to produce stakeholder engagement, a draft strategic plan and an implementation road map. The proposal would fund initial research and community outreach to determine whether the downtown could support an alliance structure.
Scott, a staff member who addressed council during the item, explained that downtown business alliances frequently overlap with municipal service districts (MSDs) and that an alliance typically delivers services—cleaning, supplemental security, marketing—funded by district assessments or a public–private funding mix. He said the alliance generally hires contractors and coordinates services funded by additional taxes in the district.
Several councilmembers questioned whether the chamber of commerce or private businesses should fund early-stage feasibility work rather than the town. One councilmember called the idea appropriate work for the chamber, and others said they wanted more examples of how similar alliances were initiated and funded in comparable North Carolina communities. Staff said they had reviewed examples (Raleigh, Wilmington, Winston‑Salem and others) and noted varying funding models: MSD assessments, chamber-led sponsorships, or hybrid approaches.
Council did not take action; staff recommended returning with additional research and, if council supports the next step, entering into a small contract for the $75,000 study. Council agreed to defer any decision and continue the conversation at a subsequent work session.
