What We Heard: Community Feedback Helps Shape the Future of Downtown Biddeford

At Heart of Biddeford, we believe good community development starts with listening.

This spring, we gathered feedback through surveys, conversations, committee meetings, public events, business outreach, social media, and one-on-one discussions. While no single survey can capture every perspective, we feel good about the many ways we worked to hear from our community. In total, 171 residents completed our community survey, and 28 businesses shared their perspectives through a separate business survey. While the business sample was smaller, the responses still provided valuable insight into what downtown businesses see as most important.

Several clear themes emerged.

First, residents overwhelmingly value the things that bring people together and create pride in place. Signature events such as River Jam, Holiday Stroll, Oktoberfest, Restaurant Week, and Creepy Crawl ranked as the community’s highest priority by a wide margin. Residents also placed strong value on downtown beautification, support for local businesses, and arts and cultural activity.

Second, businesses told us they most value the work that creates visibility, foot traffic, and momentum downtown. They strongly prioritized events, tourism, arts programming, storytelling, wayfinding, business promotion, and HOB’s role as a connector and advocate. Businesses were far less concerned about formal committee structures and trainings than they were about efforts that help bring customers and energy into downtown.

Third, both surveys reinforced something we have long believed: community development and economic development go hand in hand. Residents and businesses alike identified events, beautification, arts activity, and downtown promotion as important contributors to a healthy and vibrant downtown economy.

Finally, the results reaffirmed the importance of telling Biddeford’s story. Whether through events, visitor marketing, social media, partnerships, or simple word-of-mouth, people consistently identified visibility and promotion as important parts of what helps downtown thrive. While many organizations contribute to Biddeford’s success, we are proud that one of Heart of Biddeford’s roles is to celebrate what makes this community special and help more people discover it.

Did You Know?

• Since 2016, downtown Biddeford has added 146 net new businesses, 199 net new full-time jobs, and 634 housing units.

• Heart of Biddeford has coordinated more than 27,000 volunteer hours since 2016—equivalent to more than $700,000 in volunteer value.

• Heart of Biddeford’s work is supported by more than 300 volunteers annually, helping make everything from events and beautification projects to business support and community initiatives possible.

If you’d like to read more about HOB and see answers to Frequently Asked Questions, check out our website or read this report.

We are grateful to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts. Your feedback helps us make better decisions, prioritize limited resources, and continue building a downtown that is vibrant, welcoming, and sustainable for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.