Roughly six months after temporarily shutting its doors, the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation is seeking to reinvigorate itself.

The non-profit’s board said, after its December meeting, that it is evolving to better achieve the organization’s goals including downtown revitalization, economic development, and support for small businesses and property redevelopment. New strategic ideas, opening for new board positions, and a national leadership search will all be a part of the new evolution, JRC officials said in a news release.

The JRC was an organization founded in 2006 with the goal of assisting the implementation of the city’s Urban Design Plan.

With challenges shifting, and the need for developmental leadership, the group is turning toward a renewed focus.

The new priorities of the organization will be improving storefronts and targeting high-impact redevelopment, redeveloping key sites for catalytic investment, supporting downtown residential growth and mixed-use development.

long with these new prioritizations, the organization will be bringing on a new position. This position will be the director of downtown revitalization, who will be responsible for guiding the group in a direction to achieve this new focus. JRC is currently reviewing any interested candidates for the position.

Additionally, the organization is searching for other board members for fill spaces on both the Board of Directors and Urban Core Committee. The group noted that anybody with a strong passion for urban downtowns or expertise in business, finance, design, marketing, real estate, or nonprofit leadership should consider the positions.

“The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation has long been a valued partner in shaping the future of our city,” said Mayor and JRC Co-Chair Kim Ecklund. “As we enter a new era of opportunity, this renewed focus on economic development and downtown revitalization could not come at a more important time. JRC’s strengthened mission, new leadership structure, and commitment to collaboration will be essential as we work together to build an urban core that is vibrant, welcoming, and positioned for long-term growth.”

In June, the JRC announced it was sunsetting, with its programs to be divided between the city of Jamestown and the Gebbie Foundation. The City of Jamestown took over neighborhood revitalization programs, while the Gebbie Foundation was to continue its efforts on economic development initiatives in the city. At the same time, the jobs of former JRC executive director Frank Besse and neighborhood coordinator Mary Maxwell were eliminated. They were the only two paid staff members for the organization.

Greg Edwards, CEO of the Gebbie Foundation, on Monday discussed the recognition that the members of the renaissance board deserve, and the positive direction that this commitment will lead the city in. Edwards noted that the revitalized efforts from the organization is especially encouraging to an organization such as the Gebbie Foundation. This is because much of the focus of this foundation is to improve the quality of life throughout the county. The JRC has been a longtime grantee of the Gebbie Foundation.

“What the Board of Directors of JRC did is what is important for many long serving entities, particularly non-profits,” said Edwards. “That is to do a serious analysis of who they are, what they’ve been doing, and how they could be most impactful going forward in the future. Not a lot of organizations do that.”