DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION

Transcription

1 DOWTOW REVITALIZATIO Market Research Report Prepared For Sustainable Connections, By Joseph E. Heins, MBA

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3 METHODOLOGY The following report is based upon a two-week, city-wide survey of Bellingham, WA conducted via , social networking websites, and flyers. The intent of the survey was to gather the demographics, lifestyles, and attitudes of Bellingham residents towards specific development of the downtown area. The survey, as it was distributed can be found in Appendix 6. Various descriptive statistical measures were used with the purpose of describing the demographics, lifestyle, and attitudes of the respondents. The purpose of this was to make the data easier to work with during more complicated statistical analysis that would measure differences and associations between groups of respondents and certain variables. Raw data of all statistical output can be found in Appendix 1 through Appendix 5. Due to the method by which the survey sample was constructed, it cannot be said whether or not this represents a true, random sample. Therefore, no statistical inference was conducted with the purpose of generalizing these results to the population of Bellingham, WA as a whole. To do so with a convenience sample would be misleading and may lead to a false representation of the demographics, lifestyles, and attitudes of the population. The purpose of this report is simply to provide some insight into this particular sample, as well as to highlight areas where more research would be beneficial. It was a pleasure to receive the opportunity to work with Sustainable Connections and provide help in achieving their goal of a renewed, sustainable downtown district. Furthermore, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to those who took the time to complete this survey. This report would not have been possible without the 719 people who made their voice heard. Thank you. Joseph E. Heins, MBA

4 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE: RESIDECY Do you currently reside in Whatcom County? Yes 95% o 5% *Please see Appendix 1a According to the data, 678 people (95%) reported that they currently live in Whatcom County while 36 people (5%) reported that they do not. 5 respondents chose not to answer this question. How long have you lived in Whatcom County? Min Max Mean* *Mean of 3.67 corresponds to the response 5-10 years **Please see Appendix 1a According to the data, the respondents average length of residency fell between the values of 3 and 4, which correspond to 3-5 years and 5-10 years, respectively. Provided that you live in Whatcom County, in which city do you currently reside? City Count Percentage Bellingham % Ferndale % Lynden 7 1.0% Blaine % Alger 1 0.1% Other** % *Please see Appendix 1a **Values reported under Other can be found in Appendix 1a. Of these, Unincorporated County was most prevalent with 17 respondents (2.5%). A significant proportion of those who report living in Whatcom County also report Bellingham and their current city of residence. Bellingham houses 88.9% of those who reside within Whatcom County.

5 Provided that you live in Bellingham, in which neighborhood do you currently reside? eighborhood Count Percentage Edgemoor 8 1.3% Fairhaven % South Hill % Happy Valley % WWU % Sehome % Samish % York % Downtown/CBD % Puget % Alabama Hill % Columbia % Guide Meridian % Mount Baker % Other** % *Please see Appendix 1a **Values reported under Other can be found in Appendix 1a. Of these, Sunnyland and Birchwood were the most prevalent with 17 and 15 (2.9% and 2.4%), respectively. Of those who live in Bellingham, a significant proportion reported living in the area of Western Washington University (15.6%). However, the survey did receive a wide distribution of responses from different districts including those within Other. I am considering moving closer to downtown Bellingham in the near future. True % False % *Please see Appendix 1a Out of the entire sample, 129 (20.7%) are currently considering moving closer to Bellingham s downtown district. ote that this question was asked of the entire sample and did not exclude those who do not currently live in Whatcom County.

6 UIVERSITY ATTEDECE Are you currently enrolled as a full-time student at a university? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 1b 64.4% of those surveyed indicated that they are not currently enrolled full-time in a university. Provided you are currently enrolled full-time in a university, what is your class standing? Class Standing Count Percentage Freshman % Sophomore % Junior % Senior % Graduate % Post-Graduate 3 1.2% *Please see Appendix 1b According to the data, over 80% of current students were within the traditional baccalaureate levels, with the majority reporting as seniors. Provided you are currently enrolled full-time in a university, which university do you attend? Western Washington University % Other** 4 1.6% *Please see Appendix 1b **Values reported under Other can be found in Appendix 1b. AGE What is your age? Minimum Maximum Mean *Please see Appendix 1c

7 GEDER What is your gender? Male % Female % *Please see Appendix 1d Those who responded to the survey were predominately female. Only 179 respondents (28.2%) reported their gender as male. MARITAL STATUS What is your current marital status? Single % Married % Divorced/Separated % Widowed 3 0.5% *Please see Appendix 1e An overwhelming majority of respondents are either single or married, with only 42 respondents being divorced and 3 being widowed. Slightly more singles responded than married couples (51% vs. 41.9%). UMBER OF CHILDRE How many children do you have? umber of Children Count Percentage % % % % % % More than % *Please see Appendix 1f The majority of those surveyed (61.5%) reported having no children. Of those who reported having children, most had either 1 or 2 children.

8 LEVEL OF EDUCATIO What is the highest level of education that you have completed? Level of Education Count Percentage Some High School 1 0.2% High School Diploma % Some College % Associate Degree % Bachelor Degree % Graduate Degree % Doctorate % *Please see Appendix 1g The majority of respondents indicated their highest level of completed education as either some college, bachelor degree, or graduate degree. Over 95% of this sample has some level of college experience. EMPLOYMET Which best describes your current employment status? Employed % Self-Employed % Out of work and looking 6 0.9% Out of work and not looking 1 0.2% Homemaker 1 0.2% Student % Retired 3 0.5% *Please see Appendix 1h According to the results of the survey, 70.6% of respondents are employed full time, while 25% report themselves as full-time students. These two groups represent over 95% of the sample. In what geographical location are you currently employed? Bellingham % Within Whatcom County** 6 1.3% Outside Whatcom County** % *Please see Appendix 1h **Values for these two variables are located in Appendix 1h Over 95% of employed respondents indicated that they currently work in the city of Bellingham.

9 If given the opportunity, would you prefer to work in Bellingham? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 1h **On a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree Those who are not currently employed in Bellingham reported an average response of 2.74 when asked if they would prefer to work in Bellingham given the opportunity. This mean falls between the values of Agree and Slightly Agree. Are you a business owner? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 1h Of those who described themselves as self-employed, 14 indicated that they owned their own business. This represents 82.4% of those who are self-employed and 2.2% of the total sample. Would you ever consider moving your business to Bellingham? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 1h Of the 17 respondents who reported owning their own business, 9 indicated that they would consider moving their business to Bellingham, 3 indicated that they would not, and 2 did not answer.

10 ICOME What is your current annual income? Less than $10, % $10,000 - $19, % $20,000 - $29, % $30,000 - $39, % $40,000 - $49, % $50,000 - $59, % $60,000 - $69, % $70,000 - $79, % $80,000 - $89, % $90,000 - $99, % $100,000 - $149, % Over $150, % *Please see Appendix 1i According to the data, income seems to be fairly equally distributed, except for the 22.8% of respondents who reported earning less than $10,000 annually. One can only assume that this is due to the amount of students who responded to the survey.

11 LIFESTYLE TRAITS DOWTOW VISITS In the last month, have you visited downtown Bellingham with the intent of purchasing goods or services? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 2a An overwhelming amount of respondents have visited downtown Bellingham in the past month with the intent of engaging in commerce. In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown Bellingham? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 2a ** Value represented on a scaled where 1= ever and 7 =Daily The respondents to this question indicated a mean of This value corresponds to a response of 2-3 times a month. The frequency charts for each response can be found in Appendix 2a. SHOPPIG LOCATIO When you go shopping in Bellingham, where do you most frequently shop? Downtown % Fairhaven % Guide Meridian % Bellis Fair % Other** % *Please see Appendix 2b **Values reported under Other can be found in Appendix 2b.

12 TRASPORTATIO When you visit downtown Bellingham, what type of transportation do you typically use? Car % Bus % Bicycle % Walk % Other** % *Please see Appendix 2c **Values reported under Other can be found in Appendix 2c.

13 BUYIG LOCAL ATTITUDES In your opinion, how important is it to buy local? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3a **Values represented on a scale where 1= ot at all Important and 7= Extremely Important The average respondent rated the importance of buying local as 5.09, corresponding to a value of Somewhat Important. To what extent do you agree with the following: I am more likely to support a locally owned store than a chain store? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3a **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree The average respondent indicated their attitude toward supporting a locally owned store over a chain store as 2.42, falling between the values of somewhat agree and agree. To what extent do you agree with the following: I believe that a locally owned store has a better chance of succeeding in Bellingham than a chain store? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3a **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree The average respondent indicated their attitude toward a locally owned store succeeding over a chain store as 3.37, falling between the values of somewhat agree and neither agree nor disagree.

14 RETAIL SELECTIO How would you rate the current selection of retail (including restaurants/bars) in downtown Bellingham? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3b **Values represented on a scale where 1= Regretful and 7= Delightful The average respondent indicated a value of 3.82 when asked to rate the current selection of retail in downtown Bellingham. This value corresponds to a rating of Good. How would you rate the current selection of retail (including restaurants/bars in the Guide Meridian district? Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3b **Values represented on a scale where 1= Regretful and 7= Delightful The average respondent indicated a value of 3.45 when asked to rate the current selection of retail in the Guide Meridian district of Bellingham. This value falls between the ratings of Fair and Good. DOWTOW EEDS In your opinion could downtown Bellingham use more: Restaurants/Bars? Yes % o % Entertainment Venues? Yes % o % Grocers? Yes % o %

15 Department Stores? Yes % o % Clothing Boutiques? Yes % o % Coffee Shops? Yes % o % Other?* Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3c for values reported under Other. As one can see, none of the options provided were heavily favored by the respondents. Those received most favorable include Entertainment Venues and Department Stores, although those who favor them are still outnumbered by those who do not. DEVELOPMET Please indicate the extent you agree with the following statements: Bellingham s downtown district should be more developed that it is currently. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree I believe that they City of Bellingham would benefit from increased retail development in the downtown district. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree

16 I believe that the people of Bellingham would support increased development of the downtown district. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree I personally would support increased retail development in downtown Bellingham. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree I believe that the people of Bellingham would support increased residential development of the downtown district. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree I personally would support increased residential development of the downtown district. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree I would support increased mixed-use development in the downtown district. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3d **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree

17 CRIME Please state the extent to which you agree with the following statement: I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime neighborhood. Minimum Maximum Mean** *Please see Appendix 3e **Values represented on a scale where 1= Strongly Agree and 7= Strongly Disagree WHERE TO SHOP Please rank the following factors on a scale of 1-8 (with 1 being the most important factor) that accurately reflects their importance in determining where you shop. Factor Selection of Stores Price of Goods Quality of Stores/Goods Atmosphere/Environment Convenience of Parking Distance from Home Safety of the Area Availability of Brand ame Merchandise *Please see Appendix 3f Mean RET What do you believe to be a fair, monthly rent for a 700 sq. ft. apartment in Bellingham s downtown district? Under $ % $500-$ % $600-$ % $700-$ % $800-$ % $900-$ % Over $ % *Please see Appendix 3g These results indicate that over 80% of respondents feel that a fair, monthly rent for a 700 sq. ft. apartment in the heart of downtown Bellingham should lie between $500 and $900. Over 30% of respondents feel that it should be between $500 and $600.

18 What do you believe to be a fair, monthly rent for a 700 sq. ft. apartment in Bellingham s Guide Meridian district? Under $ % $500-$ % $600-$ % $700-$ % $800-$ % $900-$ % Over $ % *Please see Appendix 3g These results indicate that almost 90% of respondents feel that a fair, monthly rent for a 700 sq. ft. apartment in the Guide Meridian district of Bellingham should be under $700. early 70% feel that it should be less than $600. TYPES OF RESIDETIAL DEVELOPMET Please indicate which types of residential development you would support: Artist Lofts? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3h Cooperative Housing Projects? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3h Houses/Single-Family Residences? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3h Condominiums? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3h

19 Townhouses? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3h Apartments? Yes % o % *Please see Appendix 3h Of those who indicated that they would support residential development in downtown, they most frequently indicated that they would support artist lofts, condominiums, and apartments. DOWTOW ATTRACTIOS In your opinion, which of the following would attract the most people to Bellingham s downtown district? A high-end restaurant % An upscale clothing boutique % A specialty food market % A large department store % A regional chain restaurant % A dance club/bar % A discount wholesaler % A multi-screen movie theater % A sports arena % *Please see Appendix 3i CHAI STORES In your opinion, which of the following chain stores is most likely to attract the most people to downtown Bellingham? Ruth Chris Steakhouse % Blue C Sushi % Whole Foods % Sam s Club % Regal Cinemas % ordstrom % ordstrom Rack % Coldstone % Other** % *Please see Appendix 3j **Values reported under Other are displayed in Appendix 3j

20 TARGETIG (AGE) Variable* Correlation Significance Level In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential development in **.000 downtown I personally would support increased retail development in downtown **.000 I would support increased mixed-use development in downtown **.000 I am more likely to support a locally owned business than a chain store **.732 How important is convenience of parking in determining where to shop? ***.000 How important is price of goods in determining where to shop? 0.061***.141 How important is selection of stores in determining where to shop? ***.245 How important is atmosphere/environment in determining where to 0.051***.222 shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in determining where to 0.002***.962 shop? How important is the availability of brand name merchandise in ***.002 determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining where to shop? 0.273***.000 How important is safety of the area in determining where to shop? ***.298 I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime 0.148**.000 neighborhood. Please see Appendix 4a *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4a for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important Age is significantly and negatively correlated with the rating of current selection of retail downtown, meaning that as respondents get older their rating of retail selection downtown becomes poorer. (Strength of Association = Mild) Age is significantly and negatively correlated with the rating of current selection of retail in Guide Meridian, meaning that as respondents get older their rating of retail selection in Guide Meridian becomes poorer. (Strength of Association = Weak) Age is significantly and negatively correlated with support for residential development downtown, meaning that as respondents get older they are more likely to support residential development downtown. (Strength of Association = Mild) Age is significantly and negatively correlated with support for retail development downtown, meaning that as respondents get older they are more likely to support retail development downtown. (Strength of Association = Weak)

21 Age is significantly and negatively correlated with support for mixed-use development downtown, meaning that as respondents get older they are more likely to support mixed-use development downtown. (Strength of Association = Weak) Age is significantly and negatively correlated with importance of convenience of shopping in determining where to shop. This means that as respondents get older they value convenience of parking as more important of a factor when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Mild) Age is significantly and negatively correlated with importance of availability of brand name merchandise in determining where to shop. This means that as respondents get older they value the availability of brand name merchandise as more important of a factor when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak) Age is significantly and positively correlated with importance of distance from home in determining where to shop. This means that as respondents get older they value distance from home as less important of a factor when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Mild) Age is significantly and positively correlated with the belief that downtown Bellingham is a generally safe, low-crime neighborhood. This means that as respondents get older their belief that downtown Bellingham is generally safe and low-crime becomes greater. (Strength of Association = Weak)

22 TARGETIG (GEDER) Variable* Mean (Male) Mean (Female) Significance Level In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential 2.96** 3.66**.000 development in downtown I personally would support increased retail 2.39** 2.73**.001 development in downtown I would support increased mixed-use development 2.76** 3.04**.050 in downtown I am more likely to support a locally owned business 2.27** 2.45**.122 than a chain store How important is convenience of parking in *** ***.706 determining where to shop? How important is price of goods in determining *** ***.202 where to shop? How important is selection of stores in determining *** ***.805 where to shop? How important is atmosphere/environment in *** ***.303 determining where to shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in *** ***.101 determining where to shop? How important is the availability of brand name *** ***.051 merchandise in determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining *** ***.093 where to shop? How important is safety of the area in determining *** ***.519 where to shop? I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a 2.95** 3.46**.000 safe, low-crime neighborhood. Please see Appendix 4b *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4b for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important

23 There is a significant difference between mean visits to downtown per month for males and females. On average, males report visiting downtown more often per month than females (4.63 vs. 4.04) this means that males typically visit downtown about once a week while females only visit it 2-3 times a month. There is a significant difference between mean rating of retail selection in downtown between males and females. On average, females report a higher rating than males (3.88 vs. 3.65) this means that females typically rate the retail selection downtown as Good while males rate it between Fair and Good. There is a significant difference between average support for residential development downtown between males and females. On average, males report a higher support for residential development than females (2.96 vs. 3.66) this means that males typically somewhat agree that they support residential development downtown while females fall between somewhat agree and neither agree or disagree. There is a significant difference between average support for residential development downtown between males and females. On average, males report a higher support for residential development than females (2.96 vs. 3.66) this means that males typically somewhat agree that they support residential development downtown while females fall between somewhat agree and neither agree or disagree. There is a significant difference between average support for retail development downtown between males and females. On average, males report a higher support for retail development than females (2.39 vs. 2.73) this means that males typically agree that they support retail development downtown while females are closer to somewhat agree. There is a significant difference in the belief that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime neighborhood between males and females. On average, males report a higher belief that Bellingham is safe than females (2.95 vs. 3.46) this means that males typically somewhat agree that downtown Bellingham is safe while females fall between somewhat agree and neither agree or disagree.

24 TARGETIG (MARITAL STATUS) Variable* In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? Mean Mean Mean Mean Statistical (Single) (Married) (Divorced) (Widowed) Significance How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support 3.77** 3.13** 3.14** 4.00**.000**** increased residential development in downtown I personally would support 2.92** 2.37** 2.67** 2.19**.000**** increased retail development in downtown I would support increased mixeduse 3.20** 2.76** 2.46** 2.33**.001**** development in downtown I am more likely to support a locally 2.41** 2.43** 2.12** 3.67**.211 owned business than a chain store How important is convenience of *** *** *** ***.000 parking in determining where to shop? How important is price of goods in *** *** *** ***.156 determining where to shop? How important is selection of stores *** *** *** 4.000***.125 in determining where to shop? How important is *** *** 4.000*** ***.917 atmosphere/environment in determining where to shop? How important is the quality of *** *** *** ***.097 stores/goods in determining where to shop? How important is the availability of *** *** *** ***.097 brand name merchandise in determining where to shop? How important is distance from *** *** *** ***.000**** home in determining where to shop? How important is safety of the area *** *** *** ***.301 in determining where to shop? I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime neighborhood. 3.15** 3.41** 3.98** 4.33**.003****

25 Please see Appendix 4c *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4c for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important ****In these cases, statistical significance was found, which implies statistically significant difference between means of groups. Yet Duncan s post-hoc test was unable to separate the distinct cases. Further examination may be needed. See Appendix 4c for raw statistical output. The mean rating of the importance of buying local is statistically different from the other for at least one of the four groups in marital status. In this case, those who are widowed rate the importance of buying local as significantly less important than the other three groups. The mean rating of selection of retail downtown is statistically different from the other for at least one of the four groups in marital status. In this case, those who are widowed rate the selection of retail downtown as significantly poorer than the other three groups. The mean importance of convenience of parking in determining where to shop is statistically different from the other for at least one of the four groups in marital status. In this case, those who are widowed place more importance on convenience of parking than other groups in determining where to shop.

26 TARGETIG (UMBER OF CHILDRE) Variable* Correlation Significance Level In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential development in **.000 downtown I personally would support increased retail development in downtown **.064 I would support increased mixed-use development in downtown **.068 I am more likely to support a locally owned business than a chain store 0.054**.178 How important is convenience of parking in determining where to shop? ***.000 How important is price of goods in determining where to shop? ***.130 How important is selection of stores in determining where to shop? ***.510 How important is atmosphere/environment in determining where to 0.072***.079 shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in determining where to 0.041***.318 shop? How important is the availability of brand name merchandise in ***.219 determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining where to shop? 0.210***.000 How important is safety of the area in determining where to shop? ***.757 I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime 0.152**.000 neighborhood. Please see Appendix 4d *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4d for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important umber of children is significantly and negatively correlated with visits to downtown per month, meaning that as respondents have more children, they visit downtown less often. (Strength of Association = Weak) umber of children is significantly and negatively correlated with rating of retail in downtown, meaning that as respondents have more children, they generally rate the selection of retail downtown as poorer. (Strength of Association = Weak) umber of children is significantly and negatively correlated with support for increased residential development downtown, meaning that as respondents have more children, they increasingly support residential development downtown. (Strength of Association = Weak) umber of children is significantly and negatively correlated with visits to downtown per month, meaning that as respondents have more children, they visit downtown less often. (Strength of Association = Weak)

27 umber of children is significantly and negatively correlated with importance of convenience of parking in determining where to shop, meaning that as respondents have more children, they place increasing importance on convenience of parking when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Mild) umber of children is significantly and positively correlated with importance of distance from home when determining where to shop, meaning that as respondents have more children, they place less importance on distance from home when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak) umber of children is significantly and positively correlated with the belief that downtown Bellingham is a safe neighborhood, meaning that as respondents have more children, they tend to believe that downtown Bellingham is less safe. (Strength of Association = Weak)

28 TARGETIG (LEVEL OF EDUCATIO) Variable* Correlation Significance Level In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential development in **.000 downtown I personally would support increased retail development in downtown **.000 I would support increased mixed-use development in downtown **.000 I am more likely to support a locally owned business than a chain store **.083 How important is convenience of parking in determining where to shop? ***.044 How important is price of goods in determining where to shop? 0.089***.029 How important is selection of stores in determining where to shop? ***.019 How important is atmosphere/environment in determining where to *** shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in determining where to ***.001 shop? How important is the availability of brand name merchandise in ***.039 determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining where to shop? 0.104***.011 How important is safety of the area in determining where to shop? 0.039***.339 I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime **.437 neighborhood. Please see Appendix 4e *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4e for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important Level of education is significantly and positively correlated with number of visits downtown per month, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they tend to visit downtown more often per month. (Strength of Association = Weak) Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with the rating of the current selection of retail downtown, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they tend to rate the current selection of retail downtown as poorer. (Strength of Association = Weak) Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with the rating of the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they tend to rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian as poorer. (Strength of Association = Weak) Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with support for residential development downtown, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they have more support for residential development downtown. (Strength of Association = Mild)

29 Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with support for retail development downtown, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they have more support for retail development downtown. (Strength of Association = Weak) Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with support for mixed-use development downtown, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they have more support for mixed use development downtown. (Strength of Association = Weak) Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with support for residential development downtown, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they have more support for residential development downtown. (Strength of Association = Mild) Level of education is significantly and negatively correlated with the importance of quality of stores/goods when determining where to shop, meaning that as respondents become more educated, they place more importance on the quality of stores/goods when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak)

30 TARGETIG (EMPLOYMET STATUS) Variable* In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential development in downtown I personally would support increased retail development in downtown I would support increased mixed-use development in downtown I am more likely to support a locally owned business than a chain store How important is convenience of parking in determining where to shop? How important is price of goods in determining where to shop? How important is selection of stores in determining where to shop? Mean (Employed) Mean (Unemployed) Mean (Self- Employed) Mean (Student) Mean (Retired) Statistical Significance **** ** 4.17** 2.59** 4.11** 2.67**.000**** 2.50** 4.00** 2.29*** 3.04** 1.67** ** 3.67** 2.29** 3.35** 2.33**.003**** 2.43** 2.33** 2.12** 2.42** 1.00** *** *** *** *** ***.000**** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***.520

31 How important is atmosphere/environment in determining where to shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in determining where to shop? How important is the availability of brand name merchandise in determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining where to shop? How important is safety of the area in determining where to shop? I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime neighborhood *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***.000**** *** *** *** *** ***.000**** *** *** *** *** *** ** 3.50** 2.82** 2.99** 2.67**.007**** Please see Appendix 4f *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4f for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important ****In these cases, statistical significance was found, which implies statistically significant difference between means of groups. Yet Duncan s post-hoc test was unable to separate the distinct cases. Further examination may be needed. See Appendix 4f for raw statistical output. The mean frequency of downtown visits per month is statistically different from the other for at least one of the five groups in employment status. In this case, those who are retired visit downtown more times per month than the other groups. The mean support of increased retail development in downtown is statistically different from the other for at least one of the five groups in employment status. In this case, those who are retired are more likely to support retail development downtown while those who are unemployed are less likely to support retail development downtown. The mean importance of price of goods when determining where to shop is statistically different from the other for at least one of the five groups in employment status. In this case, those who are unemployed place greater importance on the price of goods in determining where to shop than the other groups.

32 TARGETIG (EMPLOYMET LOCATIO) Variable* Mean (Bellingham) Mean (Whatcom) Mean (Outside Whatcom) Statistical Significance In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased 3.23** 2.33** 4.64**.003 residential development in downtown I personally would support increased 2.49** 2.33** 3.07**.180 retail development in downtown I would support increased mixed-use 2.82** 3.00** 3.69**.143 development in downtown I am more likely to support a locally 2.41** 2.00** 3.00**.190 owned business than a chain store How important is convenience of *** *** ***.753 parking in determining where to shop? How important is price of goods in *** *** ***.892 determining where to shop? How important is selection of stores in *** *** ***.137 determining where to shop? How important is *** *** ***.991 atmosphere/environment in determining where to shop? How important is the quality of *** *** ***.932 stores/goods in determining where to shop? How important is the availability of brand *** *** ***.768 name merchandise in determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in *** *** ***.128 determining where to shop? How important is safety of the area in *** *** ***.883 determining where to shop? I believe that downtown Bellingham is 3.49** 2.50** 3.07**.202 generally a safe, low-crime neighborhood. See Appendix 4g *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4f for raw statistical output.

33 **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important The mean frequency of downtown visits per month is statistically different from the other for at least one of the three groups in employment location. In this case, those who work outside Whatcom County visit downtown fewer times per month than the other groups. The support for residential development in downtown is statistically different from the other for at least one of the three groups in employment location. In this case, those who do not work in Whatcom County are less likely to support residential development in downtown than the other groups.

34 TARGETIG (ICOME) Variable* Correlation Significance Level In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential development in **.000 downtown I personally would support increased retail development in downtown **.000 I would support increased mixed-use development in downtown **.005 I am more likely to support a locally owned business than a chain store 0.055**.179 How important is convenience of parking in determining where to shop? ***.000 How important is price of goods in determining where to shop? 0.043***.302 How important is selection of stores in determining where to shop? ***.005 How important is atmosphere/environment in determining where to 0.053***.212 shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in determining where to ***.443 shop? How important is the availability of brand name merchandise in ***.004 determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining where to shop? 0.176***.000 How important is safety of the area in determining where to shop? ***.894 I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a safe, low-crime 0.092**.025 neighborhood. Please see Appendix 4h *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4h for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with the rating of current selection of retail downtown. This means that as income increases, the rating of retail selection downtown becomes poorer. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with the rating of current selection of retail in Guide Meridian. This means that as income increases, the rating of retail selection in Guide Meridian becomes poorer. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with support for residential development in downtown. This means that as income increases, support for residential development in downtown rises. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with support for retail development in downtown. This means that as income increases, support for retail development in downtown rises. (Strength of Association = Weak)

35 Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with support for mixed-use development in downtown. This means that as income increases, support for mixed-use development in downtown rises. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with the importance of convenience of parking in determining where to shop. This means that as income increases, respondents place more importance on convenience of parking when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with the importance of selection of stores in determining where to shop. This means that as income increases, respondents place more importance on selection of stores in an area when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and negatively correlated with the importance of the availability of brand name merchandise in determining where to shop. This means that as income increases, respondents place more importance on the availability of brand name merchandise when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak) Income level is significantly and positively correlated with the importance of distance from home in determining where to shop. This means that as income increases, respondents place less importance on distance from home when determining where to shop. (Strength of Association = Weak)

36 TARGETIG (CURRET STUDETS) Variable* Mean (Yes) Mean (o) Significance Level In a typical month, how often do you visit downtown with the intent of making a purchase? How important is it to buy local? How would you rate the current selection of retail in downtown? How would you rate the current selection of retail in Guide Meridian? I personally would support increased residential 4.09** 3.13**.000 development in downtown I personally would support increased retail 3.06** 2.43**.000 development in downtown I would support increased mixed-use development in 3.31** 2.81**.000 downtown I am more likely to support a locally owned business 2.51** 2.37**.215 than a chain store How important is convenience of parking in *** ***.000 determining where to shop? How important is price of goods in determining where *** ***.050 to shop? How important is selection of stores in determining *** ***.310 where to shop? How important is atmosphere/environment in *** ***.826 determining where to shop? How important is the quality of stores/goods in *** ***.083 determining where to shop? How important is the availability of brand name *** ***.005 merchandise in determining where to shop? How important is distance from home in determining *** ***.000 where to shop? How important is safety of the area in determining *** ***.872 where to shop? I believe that downtown Bellingham is generally a 3.14** 3.44**.012 safe, low-crime neighborhood. Please see Appendix 4i *otice that some of the variables are scaled different than others please see below for explanations or see Appendix 4l for raw statistical output. **Variables rated on a scale of 1= Strongly Agree and 8= Strongly Disagree ***Variables rated on a scale of 1= Most Important and 8=Least Important

37 There is a significant difference between mean importance of buying local for students and non-students. On average, non-students report a higher importance of buying local than students (5.20 vs. 4.90). There is a significant difference between mean rating of current downtown retail selection for students and non-students. On average, non-students report a lower rating of current downtown retail selection than students (3.59 vs. 4.24). There is a significant difference between mean rating of current retail selection in Guide Meridian for students and non-students. On average, non-students report a lower rating of current retail selection in Guide Meridian than students (3.29 vs. 3.75). There is a significant difference between mean support for residential development downtown for students and non-students. On average, non-students are more inclined to support residential development downtown than students (3.13 vs. 4.09). There is a significant difference between mean support for retail development downtown for students and non-students. On average, non-students are more inclined to support retail development downtown than students (2.43 vs. 3.06). There is a significant difference between mean support for mixed-use development downtown for students and non-students. On average, non-students are more inclined to support mixed-use development downtown than students (2.81 vs. 3.31). There is a significant difference between importance of convenience of parking when determining where to shop for students and non-students. On average, non-students place more importance on convenience of parking when determining where to shop than students ( vs ). There is a significant difference between importance of convenience of parking when determining where to shop for students and non-students. On average, non-students place more importance on convenience of parking when determining where to shop than students ( vs ). There is a significant difference between importance of availability of brand name merchandise when determining where to shop for students and non-students. On average, non-students place more importance on availability of brand name merchandise when determining where to shop than students ( vs ). There is a significant difference between importance of distance from home when determining where to shop for students and non-students. On average, non-students place less importance on distance from home when determining where to shop than students ( vs ). There is a significant difference between students and non-students concerning the belief that downtown Bellingham is a low-crime neighborhood. On average, non-students are less likely to believe that downtown Bellingham is a low-crime neighborhood than students (3.44 vs. 3.14).