G'town Town Center: Your Voice Shapes Our Community

YEAR ONE LOGO & BRANDING PROJECT:

Thank you to Montgomery County, and to the hundreds of neighbors and Germantown friends and business owners who attended five community meetings/workshops over the first year of work on this important economic development project! Over this first year of work on this three-year project, so many people have joined for community conversations about the future of the Germantown Town Center. In addition to meeting our neighbors and Germantown supporters, we discussed what we believed are important components for a successful town center and our vision for Germantown. Informed by a committee of residents, business leaders, and Germantown stakeholders, we now have a mission, vision, values statement, and a LOGO for the Germantown Town Center! We celebrated this work with a summer brand launch in G’town Town Center – thank you!

New website launching in Year Two!

The Logo:

The pinwheel, reminiscent of a kaleidoscope, represents an evolving community, the colors represent the vibrant diversity that makes Germantown the #1 most culturally diverse area in the United States, and the brush strokes lean into the artistry, creativity, and fun represented in many of our area businesses and nonprofits, including the beautiful BlackRock Center for the Arts at the heart of Germantown Town Center.

About the colors – the greens represent our location as the gateway to the Ag Reserve and Sportsplex, and a focus on nature and sustainability. The oranges represent the seasonal changes in our beautiful community and are a nod to our community’s October celebration October Fest. The purples represent creativity and inspiration. The combination of colors represents the vibrant diversity of Germantown.

OCTOBER FEST:

The tradition of the Germantown Oktoberfest was a time-honored event drawing thousands of people to Germantown each year. After a five-year hiatus, the “Germantown Oktoberfest” returned in 2024 with over 4,200 attendees, a vibrant parade, artisan market, live music and dancing, a beer garden, and a children’s carnival. After a wonderful return, our community engagement deepened through additional events, workshops, volunteer committees, and public surveys.

As the event continues to grow, it is also evolving. With strong input from the community, we are excited to introduce the 2025 “October Fest”— reflecting a broader seasonal and cultural focus. While the spirit of the original Oktoberfest will be honored through fun traditions and festive touches, the emphasis will highlight Germantown’s rich cultural diversity and the beauty of fall. This evolution allows us to be inclusive, representative of our vibrant community, and creative in how we celebrate together.

Click here to view the participation packet which includes links to sign up for the parade, participate as a vendor and sponsorship opportunities.

RSVP here and let us know you are coming to be the first to learn about exciting details and be entered to win a prize pack worth over $500!

BACKGROUND:

In 2024, The County awarded GGCC a grant to determine the feasibility of a Business Improvement District (BID) or an Urban District (UD) in Germantown Town Center. With the funding, GGCC is charged with the following:

1. 1. working with the businesses in the Town Center to determine needs for services that could help the business community to thrive
  2. working with the businesses and community stakeholders to determine what the community would like to see in the Town Center
  3. working with the County government to determine geographic boundaries and potential funding models for the Town Center

Depending on budget availability, the grant to GGCC is renewable up to 3 years, at which point, we need to have determined the feasibility of a BID or UD and filed appropriate project applications.

In year one (May 2024-May 2025): GGCC started the feasibility project with the following:

1. 1. Personnel & Community Engagement: We hired a dedicated project manager for Germantown Town Center – Zeina Davis – who will work with business owners and stakeholders in the Town Center on various initiatives
  2. Placemaking: We brought back Oktoberfest to the Town Center, and over 4200 people attended (based on placer data); we supported other events in the Town Center, such as Celebrate the Seasons
  3. Branding: Through a competitive RFP process, we have hired two agencies to guide the community through a branding exercise, which will culminate in a new logo and brand design guidelines for the Town Center in Spring 2025.

Year #2 will focus on understanding the potential boundaries of a Business Improvement District for Germantown Town Center, building out a website to be used as a marketing tool for local businesses and the County, learning more about what services the businesses community needs to thrive and starting plans to implement those services, and implementing more fun placemaking events to bring new people to the Town Center area. We will also begin to explore various funding models by looking at BIDs and Urban Districts across the state and country.

In Year #3, we will continue implementing more placemaking events to bring new people to the Town Center, while also focusing on refining boundaries of a potential Business Improvement District for Germantown Town Center, determining potential funding sources, determining final feasibility, and filing proper requests to the county and state, should the community want to move forward.