Downtown Auburn leaders want the city’s core to feel busier, safer, and easier to enjoy, and they’ve laid out a three-year roadmap to get there. The Auburn Downtown Partnership released a 2026–2028 strategic work plan that focuses on marketing, business support, safety, events, and long-term funding.
The plan centers on six main goals, starting with reintroducing downtown Auburn as a unified destination for shopping, dining, entertainment, and history. Organizers want to use coordinated marketing campaigns, social media influencers, and a consistent hashtag to highlight businesses and events.
A major part of the strategy involves supporting businesses already downtown. The Partnership plans to host monthly business get-togethers, conduct routine visits to storefronts, and help owners access training, grants, and shared services like group advertising and snow removal.
At the same time, leaders want to fill empty storefronts. The work plan calls for recruiting at least two to three new businesses each year, promoting available spaces, and exploring pop-up leases and incentive programs with property owners and city partners.
Safety and cleanliness also rank high on the list. The Partnership plans to work with the city and police to support daytime foot patrols, improve bike safety signage, address concerns related to unhoused individuals through outreach, and maintain beautification projects like flowers, banners, and public art.
Events play a key role in the vision. The plan aims to grow First Fridays, add new seasonal and family-friendly events, and strengthen partnerships with arts and cultural organizations to bring more people downtown.
The final pillar focuses on governance and funding, with goals that include regular board reviews, applying for multiple grants each year, expanding sponsorships, and sharing annual reports to track progress and build trust. Board approval of the plan is scheduled as the next step before priorities and performance measures are finalized.
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