Getting Started With Main Street

Posted on by Department of Housing and Community Development

While the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program seeks to bring increased vitality to the places people call home, Main Street empowers communities to set their own destinies and offers a road-map for locally-owned, locally-driven prosperity. Through the time-tested Main Street Approach, which is a framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization, your community, along with assistance from VMS, can transform its economy, leverage local leadership and improve overall quality of life.

For those with the desire to improve their historic downtown or neighborhood commercial district and willingness to imagine what’s possible, VMS recommends that you become an Exploring Main Street (EMS) community to start your journey! Through this level of participation, your community will become a part of a powerful, grassroots network consisting of over 70 communities throughout Virginia and gain access to a variety of training and grant opportunities to guide and support your community-based revitalization efforts as they begin to flourish.

Interested in applying to become an EMS community? Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Reach out to mainstreet@dhcd.virginia.gov to establish contact and determine which VMS Program Administrator is assigned to your community / region;
  2. Complete the non-competitive EMS Program Application;
  3. Secure a resolution adopted by town / city council supporting EMS participation / application; and
  4. Create / provide a map that highlights your Main Street district – a physical setting conducive to applying the Main Street Approach, including a pedestrian scale and orientation; critical mass of buildings and businesses; and critical mass of structures that would be eligible for frequently used rehabilitation incentives.

Once your application and supporting documentation have been submitted, reviewed and accepted, VMS can begin to work closely with your program to determine how best to support your Main Street journey!

Click here to view the VMS Program Guidelines for more information on EMS eligibility, requirements, etc.