Next steps for downtown Mansfield

The other day I wrote a post discussing my impressions of downtown Mansfield and asked other locals what could be done. To say I was overwhelmed by the response would be an understatement! The comments were thoughtful, and...a good sign here...passionate. There seem to be a lot of my fellow citizens who feel the same way about downtown Mansfield. This post is my response to what I've been reading. I've read this:

• The economy is too bad.
• Rents are too high.
• We need places that give visitors "something to do".
• A great coffee shop (Starbucks) would be great.
• We've been through this many times, with few results. (recurring theme)
• We want another bookstore.
• There's a strategic plan as a start.
• Great comment from Robin: "a nice restaurant with outdoor seating, a small live music venue, a more easily accessible (street level) yoga studio (or combination yoga, pilates, wellness center that would attract commuters on the way home). Something else that might make the place feel more welcoming, from an aesthetic point of view, consistency in architecture and/or frontage."
• Outdoor dining would be great.
• Mansfield is becoming a commuter town to Boston.
• The chain stores/Mansfield Crossing are driving folks downtown out of business.
• People are burned out, thinking positive change will never come.

1. Gather the people who want to make a change. You know who you are. And invite skeptics too. Invite those landlords, politicians, the chamber of commerce, anyone who has a stake in this. Including reps from Mansfield Crossing -- yes, because we want complementary businesses in downtown. We all have a stake (business interest) in a healthy downtown. I wonder if the developers of Mansfield Crossing would even be interesting in sponsoring some of the beautification work? We can't pretend that the economic forces are something different, so we need some creative solutions. Get buy-in and anticipate (and answer) objections. Include some great ideas from Patch readers above. Get creative. Double down on the financial/rent piece and show landlords and banks what's in it for them to go along. Invite people from other successful downtowns to give us ideas.
2. Formulate a proposal for downtown, including costs, timelines, etc. Have someone develop blueprints, drawings, sketches, etc. Let's visualize the future downtown Mansfield.
3. Present our vision to the Board of Selectmen and whichever other boards we need. The key is to get buy-in and anticipate (and answer) objections before we get to this stage. Make sure there's a phased implementation starting with some quick wins. 
4. Talk to residents about the vision. Get the word out (marketing). Here help from local businesses and the BoS would be great. 
5. Start getting to work. The changes need to be visible, like the mural.