For over 20 years CDCs, in cities and rural areas across the country have successfully developed basic needed retail in neighborhoods and communities that were for many years undeserved.

Among CDC retail developments there is a trackable record of success.
The history of these ventures is important in terms of CDCs today knowing what has worked and how, what hasn't’t and why, as well as chronicling the struggle of those who blazed the trail. Of those early and often heroic efforts we know results. Retail has provided new jobs to the communities it serves, opportunities to shop for a variety of food and other basic goods at reasonable prices, and returned money to the communities to further additional affordable housing, appropriate retail developments and social service programs.

There is no simple formula for CDCs to follow to develop appropriate retail.
Retail Resources can assist your CDC to identify available resources you need as you evaluate your particular retail prospect and begin to plan your development.

Most CDC retail projects have common elements, things that have to be in place for a project to work.

• Successful pre-development
  o do the best possible market analysis
  o look at funding/financing feasibility
  o assess what help you need
• Capability to
  o create a network of relationships in the public and private sector for financing the project and develop a working relationship with local government
  o put together a successful development team that is accountable to the board overseeing the project.
• Discipline to
  o monitor each stage planning through completion
  o evaluate each stage of development in terms of your project goals

Previous success in housing development can help a CDC doing retail development. Even with that it, for the inexperienced it is wise to work with someone experienced, either a developer with a track record with CDCs or a development consultant who can help predict, guide and assist you in all aspects of the development as you move it toward completion. Or a CDC may prefer to hire a developer in which case you need to think through criteria for the developer you choose.

The site can provide support you during pre-development and development by providing access to what has worked and what has not worked for other successful CDC developers willing to share their experiences. It will strive to provide access to a network of peers who have taken a development from its beginning and directed it to become a successful, lively, profitable and appropriate center of retail activity in an undeserved urban or rural community. At this site peers and other professionals will share lessons learned including pitfalls to avoid as well as what works.

The site will explore as many aspects of CDC retail development as possible ranging from how to identify a retail opportunity, acquire appropriate site and tenants, finance the project from pre-development to opening, assess the project’s potential value to a local community by providing jobs, services and income and the potential market for CDC retail development nationwide.

The web site assistance provided at this site by NCCED is for the purpose of strengthening a CDCs knowledge of the retail development process and assisting the CDC to assess its potential for participation. Building CDC capacity is a goal.

Web site assistance does not replace necessary staff, a development adviser, co-developer or the development team members necessary to undertake and complete a specific project. The web site assistance offered here is meant to broaden the knowledge of CDC retail development and to add to the body of knowledge about CDC retail development. It can provide access to answers about specific CDC retail questions, and help with options as you plan for the people, institutions and organizations that might be useful to you as you proceed.