Design is one of the four main points of the Main Street Approach and encompasses what becomes the feel and identity of a place. Utilizing funds from a Virginia Main Street (VMS) Community Vitality Grant (CVG), Buena Vista is transforming their downtown district through an intentional and people-driven beautification project. 

This placemaking effort aims to bring a spark back to downtown Buena Vista so that residents and visitors alike will be drawn to the community’s charming assets. The project will also improve the accessibility of downtown so that everyone feels welcomed and able to take part in what Buena Vista has to offer. This will include the installation of ADA-compliant benches, a complement to the city’s widened sidewalks.

Partnering with local garden clubs, Buena Vista’s Main Street will install sturdy, all-weather planters and fill them with perennial flora to increase the natural beauty of the community. The landscaping will highlight local and seasonal plantings reflective of the city’s geography in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The result will be a more vibrant, engaging, and inviting downtown that will strengthen the community’s sense of place.

Photo Credit: Main Street Buena Vista Facebook Page