Ben Cassarino

One of the first "will be in June in connection with the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps event at the high school," said Move Fort Mill Forward Chairman Ben Cassarino, a Main Street-based attorney.

Besides another springtime event, the group will plan something for the fall, such as "a chili festival or pie contest - things like that," Cassarino said.
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Also at the meeting, Cassarino passed around a map Town Manager David Hudspeth helped produce that proposes a new downtown district.
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The map is still in n early stage, Cassarino said.

Ben Cassarino, spokesman of Move Fort Mill Forward, plans to ask the Fort Mill Town Council for financial support for the group's initiatives.

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"Most of that budget would go towards a full-time director who would devote his efforts to the revitalization of downtown," the group's spokesman, Ben Cassarino, said.

The money would also cover expenses for an office for the director -- the caboose at the bottom of Main Street was mentioned as a possibility -- and a matching grant program for downtown property owners interested in renovating their buildings.

A significant portion of that proposed budget, to the tune of $30,000, could come from the Town of Fort Mill if Cassarino can convince the town council to come aboard.

"We haven't finalized the amount we'll ask for yet," Cassarino said.

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However, $30,000 was the figure talked about at the last Move Fort Mill Forward meeting, according to the minutes.Other money would come from a number of sources, including solicited donations from local organizations and individuals and money raised from upcoming events, Cassarino said.

Money from the matching grant program would go to property owners whose applications are approved by the group, and would match the property owner's expenses dollar for dollar for renovation projects in the downtown area, Cassarino said.The program would have a total of about $5,000 a year to spend on grants, and applications that come in after the money is spent each year won't be considered for financial help from the program.

But Move Fort Mill Forward has a long way to go before it starts writing checks.The group is still looking for someone to chair the fundraising campaign.Cassarino said the group has a few people in mind, but if all of them turn it down the group may place an ad seeking candidates.
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Cassarino will make a presentation to the town council at 10 a.m. Friday, April 8, in the council chambers.

The group has been working to raise money for its first year operating budget, estimated to run about $75,000, according to Ben Cassarino, a spokesman for the group.Most of that is earmarked for an executive director for the group.Another chunk will go to Community Builders, a Columbia company that specializes in revitalizing urban centers.

The group also plans to set up an architectural grant program that would match investments made by business or property owners to renovate or repair historic buildings in the downtown area.

Move Fort Mill Forward recently sponsored an exhibition performance by the Carolina Crown drum and bugle corps, and in November it will sponsor a chili cook-off.Cassarino said the group is also seeking donations from individuals and businesses with the means to make large gifts.
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Currently, Lang & Associates, the firm in which Cassarino works, is in the middle of constructing a two-story office building on Clebourne Street.It should be finished in October, he said.

Ben Cassarino, a spokesman for Move Fort Mill Forward, said the group is appealing to the York County County Council for help in revitalizing downtown Fort Mill.The Fort Mill Town Council has pitched in by paying for the reconstruction of two parking lots.

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"We were not happy with the response to the letter," group spokesman Ben Cassarino said.

He said he's not sure why the letter did so poorly.Most of the feedback the group hears is positive, Cassarino said.He suspects the letter went out too close to the holiday season.

This week, Cassarino and Bayles Mack, a downtown property owner and group member, will begin meeting with other property owners to discuss some of the changes Move Fort Mill Forward wants to see along Main, Tom Hall and Clebourne streets.
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The group hopes to convince owners that renovating space in the downtown area will lead to higher rents per square foot, Cassarino said.He and Mack are also mentioning low-interest bank loans available for community revitalization projects.

Move Fort Mill Forward is also seeking government help.The Town of Fort Mill has already started repaving the parking lots behind Main Street; one lot is finished and the other is underway.But now the group is also asking York County to chip in.

Cassarino said the group has asked York County Council Vice Chairman Jeff Updike to plead their case..
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The firm plans to move into the new offices next month, said Cassarino, who is an attorney at the firm.

Lang and Associates is also renovating the former Southern Auctions building on Main Street.Crews are now shoring up the building and making structural repairs, Cassarino said.During the next month they will begin reworking the façade.

In all, three buildings downtown are in the midst of renovations, Cassarino said.

"We always said this is a process that's going to take a long time, and we're starting to see the beginning of it," said attorney Ben Cassarino, also a spokesman for Move Fort Mill Forward, a group pushing for redevelopment in downtown.
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According to Cassarino, four other downtown properties were either just renovated or are still under renovation.
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Cassarino said he believes a sandwich shop will be going in there.
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"That's a difficult section; it's elevated off the street with no parking in front and very little in the rear," Cassarino said.

"We're just trying to move it to the next level," said Ben Cassarino, 39, a real estate attorney who works downtown and is chairman of Move Fort Mill Forward, a group trying to usher in an economic resurgence downtown.

Though downtown still has its share of businesses, shops and restaurants, the atmosphere and appearance don't match the image of a hip destination with night life, which Cassarino said is a goal.

Downtown has no anchor draw.And leaders say parking and streetscaping also aren't up to par.

But Move Fort Mill Forward, a group spawned from the Fort Mill Downtown Association, along with town officials are doing their parts to find remedies.

Cassarino and others in Move Fort Mill Forward they say can help by working to attract new businesses to fill up vacant spaces, promoting activities downtown and by finding incentives for owners to repair or maintain their buildings.

All this will help business and property owners develop a mutual sense of ownership in the area, they say.

"Our focus has been on creating a draw to downtown," Cassarino said."We're focusing on attracting businesses that will draw people not only from the greater Fort Mill area, but also from Charlotte and Rock Hill."

That means having an upscale restaurant, nighttime entertainment and other things that will give downtown a new identity that will resonate with the thousands of newcomers who Cassarino says don't know downtown exists.

Working as a real estate attorney, Cassarino said he's heard firsthand from buyers who say they've never been downtown.

"They never knew there was a quaint little Main Street area," he said.
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"The feedback has been nothing but positive," Cassarino said.

Ben Cassarino, president of the downtown revitalization effort Moving Fort Mill Forward, said the train "is a great example" of the type of development he and members of his organization would like to see more often.

"Here's a train car that's probably 50 to 60 years old, and he's putting it in the heart of downtown Fort Mill," Cassarino said.

Ben Cassarino, president of Move Fort Mill Forward, an organization dedicated to revitalizing downtown Fort Mill, said he supports the ideas.

"I think we need to focus more on small businesses," Cassarino said.