Downtown New Jersey acts as an advocate for downtown commercial districts in New Jersey, tracking legislative, regulatory, and policy issues that can affect the success of the state’s downtowns and then informing and educating members on these issues.
Throughout the pandemic, DNJ posted important updates related to legislative and policy initiatives in response to COVID 19, as well as resources from peers and experts.
May 18, 2020 – Downtown New Jersey’s Executive Director, Courtenay Mercer, has been named to the “Main Street” Committee of the NJ Restart and Recovery Council. The committee includes representatives from small business establishments, chambers of commerce, unions, small business lenders, and other related advocacy and education non-profits.
May 13, 2020 – During an online Downtown Management Forum, we were joined by Rachel Sieg of the HDSID and Rebecca Hersh of Main Street Highland Park, to lead a conversation about reopening farmer’s markets safely and successfully.
May 8, 2020 – During an online Downtown Management Forum, members of DNJ discussed concerns, ideas, and needs for reopening safely.
April 28, 2020 – As part of Sustainable Jersey’s Virtual Summit, Downtown New Jersey Executive Director, Courtenay Mercer and NJDCA’s Neighborhood Preservation Program Administrator, Jef Buehler discussed how we can support local business when it’s not business as usual.
April 24, 2020 – We were joined by Donna Ann Harris of Heritage Consulting Inc. to discuss the BID board’s role in financial oversight and budgeting in light of COVID-19 economic impacts.
April 17, 2020 – We were joined by Marta Person Villa, NJ Retail Lead and Senior Vice President with Jones Lang LaSalle and a former SID director, municipal administrator, and DNJ President. Ms. Villa discussed “what’s next” – how does your downtown recover from economic upheaval, and what can you do now to plan for a time when we’re all back to business?
March 27, 2020 – We were joined by Christina Fuentes, Director of Small Business Services at NJEDA and Erika Calderon, Small Business Legislative Aid from Senator Menendez’s office to discuss programs to provide economic relief to downtowns and small business.
March 20, 2020 – During an online Downtown Management Forum, downtown management professionals exchanged ideas about best practices related to downtown economic development in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Participants shared concerns for small businesses and their employees, questions for clarity related to closures, and policy and legislative needs to further assist small businesses.
