Harrisonburg, St. Paul, and Waynesboro took home 2024 Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA) for outstanding projects that transformed their communities! The Virginia Economic Development Association (VEDA) selects CEDA winners from nominated communities across five population categories that address business attraction, business retention / expansion, community development, and/or community involvement.
Harrisonburg received an award for it’s Downtown 2040 community engagement and master plan, completed in 2020 through a partnership between the City of Harrisonburg and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR). As part of the engagement process, Harrisonburg invited everyone in the community to share their vision and priorities for the next two decades of growth and change in downtown. Since a significant emphasis had been put on in-person engagement opportunities being rolled out in the midst of the pandemic, Harrisonburg pivoted engagement activities in a variety of creative ways including “take out menu” surveys, multi-lingual coasters and an online collaborative map (click here to read more about the process). As a result, they had above-average participation, connecting with over 500 different people, 40 completed interviews, over 460 ideas on the collaborative map, more than 170 survey responses, and 320 participants at pop-up outdoor events. To date, the city has received over $14 million in grants to support activities outlined in the Harrisonburg Downtown 2040 plan.
St. Paul received an award for the Lyric Project, the rehabilitation of a historic theatre that was once the main attraction in downtown before it fell into disrepair in the 1980s. Through a variety of grant funding sources, including the Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF), and an incredible fundraising campaign led by the community itself, the Town of St. Paul and St. Paul Tomorrow (STP) transformed the Lyric Theatre into a venue to host conference, events and performing arts. St. Paul credits three additional restaurants opening downtown to the reopening of the theatre and the need for pre-show dining. The Lyric plans to host over 40 events in 2024, bringing residents and tourists from across the country to enjoy outdoor recreation and spend in the community.
Waynesboro was awarded for its work on its Grow Waynesboro: Main and Wayne program, which offers free 8-week business training through the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund to individuals looking to start or expand a brick and mortar business in downtown Waynesboro. Main and Wayne was a 2023 Community Business Launch (CBL) recipient, compiling a prize pot of $53,000 to fill vacancies in the community, and coupled funding from the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program’s Virginia Business District Resurgence Grant (VBDRG) program to assist funding business training and technical assistance, and create a facade improvement grant for commercial downtown properties. Waynesboro began the process with 12 vacant properties in their central business district, amounting to over 58,000 square feet of un- or underutilized commercial space. 14 entrepreneurs participated in the course, with eight pitching for funding. Of the eight that pitched, four entrepreneurs were awarded reimbursable grants to jump start their business venture. While only four businesses received award funding, five moved forward with opening storefront. As a result of Waynesboro’s investment, the community filled over 15,000 square feet of its vacant commercial real estate, filling 26% through the 2023 cohort alone. The entrepreneurs have created six jobs and invested over $110,000 in the community.
Photo Credit: Jessica Hartness
Photo Credit: VEDA
Virginia Main Street 