[THE CHALLENGE]

Refurbishing a historic waterfront that’s 300 years old required significant investment, a budget that was out of reach for the nonprofit organization that guides the district.

Lexicon Strategies partner Malaika Rivers, the leading expert in Community Improvement Districts (CID), stepped in to advise on the opportunity and pathway to forming a CID.

Lexicon considered the Waterfront’s current organizational capacity as well as the public and private organizational ecosystem. Interviews with client staff, board members, and government stakeholders informed the strategy. Additional steps included an analysis of the tax digest and the existing conditions and capital project opportunities along the waterfront.

[RESULTS]

Lexicon delivered a final report to the Savannah Waterfront that briefed and educated the agency on the benefits of a CID, providing them with a robust understanding after a few stalled attempts at launching a community improvement district.

The report detailed the relationship that would form between Savannah’s Waterfront and a new CID, the support that would be available from the existing community and government, a projected timeline, considerations for organization, professional resources, and the budget required for formation.

The brief sparked action after years of debate, and Savannah’s Waterfront to form a CID the following year.

Helping the Birthplace of Georgia Grow In a New Era

[THE CHALLENGE]

[RESULTS]