Why do Main Street programs need firm boundaries?
Short Answer:
A Main Street organization’s Articles of Incorporation, 501(c)(3) application, and Mission Statement all state that the purpose of the organization is to revitalize the historic commercial district or simply downtown. Therefore, by focusing its limited program resources on downtown, the organization is meeting the expectations of its private and public supporters.
Long Answer:
Virginia’s local Main Street programs, with assistance from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Virginia Main Street (VMS) program, exist to create vibrant, people-centered places to live, work, and visit using the Main Street Approach. The core of the Approach is preservation-based economic development, specifically designed to work in historic, pedestrian-oriented commercial districts.
A key to success in downtown revitalization, which has been proven in the over 40 years of the Approach’s existence, is the need for focus. Revitalization efforts are carried out with finite resources, therefore focusing these resources in a limited area maximizes a local program’s impact and demonstrated success. It is this success that allows programs and their downtowns to flourish long-term. The boundaries act as a decision-making guardrail, fostering mission-fulfillment and investment.
Additionally, these boundaries must be firm and clearly delineated, capturing a critical density of businesses and buildings (VMS Program Guidelines, p. 14). For property and business owners immediately outside a district, know that increased activity downtown has a positive impact on adjacent businesses and property values, as well as the surrounding region’s economic opportunity through tourism attraction and industrial recruitment. That is, corporate site selectors often see downtown’s health as a gauge of local quality of life. Downtowns are a key asset for regional prosperity; meaning, success downtown means success for the entire community.
Virginia Main Street 