On Tuesday, Sept. 17, downtown Aberdeen hosted a Community-Wide Vision Forum inviting Aberdeen residents and members of community boards and committees to share their visions of Aberdeen’s past, present, and future. Aberdeen Downtown Planner Lindy Lamielle welcomed participants, thanked them for attending, and explained the town’s goal of creating a five-year vision for Aberdeen.
The meeting was held in conjunction with the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center, an organization dedicated to inspiring and bettering economic development in North Carolina communities. Representatives Naomi Riley and Mike Dougherty led the session and guided the groups through the evening’s planned activities.
“The Main Street Program is tied to a national movement,” explained Naomi as participants sorted themselves into groups. “Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.”
The Main Street approach is centered on community transformation, focusing on four areas: organization, promotion, economic vitality, and design.
Participants were split into three groups and were provided with information packets, markers, and paper. From there, the groups were set to work their way through a series of timed exercises that focused on different areas of community and commerce in downtown Aberdeen.
The first three activities were similar in nature. The groups were given lists relating to three areas: Stakeholders & Partners, Community Assets, and Economic Drivers.
For each list, participants reviewed the list of organizations, civic groups, and other local institutions and were then asked to identify similar establishments that may have been missing from the list. This process encouraged group members to think critically about the driving forces within the Aberdeen community.
For the fourth and final activities, the groups gathered input regarding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the Aberdeen community. The Vision Forum portion aimed to identify what the community or downtown area excels at and what separates it from other communities while accurately pinpointing what improvements could be made.
Strengths: Groups praised the town’s preexisting amenities, largely the beauty of the parks and the downtown area. The area also has ample room to grow and plenty of already-existing accommodations for new businesses short-term. There are plenty of restaurants and “niche markets.”
Weaknesses: Participants cited a lack of anchor stores, big stores, grocery stores, and “day-to-day” stores. Parking issues should the town continue to grow and hope to expand were also noted. Vacancy of current real estate, lack of public activities and promotions, and lack of community participation were listed. It was also noted that Aberdeen is generally viewed as not walkable; getting from downtown to Aberdeen Lake across the street is unsafe and inconvenient without a bridge or tunnel, and vehicles don’t always heed the many stop signs and traffic lights.
Opportunities: Participants saw plenty of opportunities for Aberdeen to improve and grow. These possibilities included public service outreach, greenway improvements, community events (holidays, markets, festivals, etc.), beautification measures, the creation of community gardens, outdoor water recreation, civic partnerships, and a farmer’s market, among others.
Threats: Threats were described as potential harm to a community or detrimental to the town’s wellbeing. Participants cited lack of affordable housing, “no real economic heartbeat,” lack of services offered aside from eating and shopping, traditionalist ideals that do more detriment than benefit, lack of arts, overdevelopment, and stagnancy.
With the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats identified, the groups were tasked with creating an Economic Positioning Statement. This statement was meant to share the vision of the downtown each group wanted to see in the next five years.
By the end of the evening, each of the three groups found that they’d prioritized their vision differently, creating a rather diverse vision for Aberdeen once the ideas were compiled. Some lists favored expanding Aberdeen’s cultural influence, while others focused more on politics and outreach.
However, all groups had one thing in common, and it was the fact that they wanted Aberdeen to feel like home. In the end, the three vision statements read as follows:
“Nestled in the heart of the Pines, at the intersection of the past, present, and future, you will find our charming, Southern town of Aberdeen. Here everyone has the ability to safely live, shop, walk and play, where neighbors know neighbors; we care for others and no one is a stranger for long.”
“Situated in the heart of the Sandhills, Aberdeen offers a historic downtown community with unique opportunities for dining, shopping, and cultural experiences. If you’re not coming back home, welcome home!”
“Aberdeen Downtown is a family-friendly crossroads of a quaint historic area, rich in boutique[s], independent shops, and unique dining experiences. Destination arts and music venues attract a thriving cultural scene with Aberdeen Lake Park offering itself as the gracious green heart for residents and visitors alike.”
The session ended with the answering of a question: What comes next?
The Town of Aberdeen will review the community’s input and proceed with Workplan Creation using the feedback provided. According to Naomi and Lindy, the town will begin creating strategies, forming committees, and evaluating progress as it happens.
~Article and photo by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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