11 Communities Selected to Participate in the 2025-2026 Mobilizing Main Street Program Cohort

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is excited to announce its second Mobilizing Main Street (MMS) cohort through the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program!

The 2025-2026 MMS cohort includes:

Bowling Green
Front Royal
Leesburg
Occoquan
Portsmouth
Pulaski
Roanoke
Rocky Mount
Salem
Waynesboro
Woodstock

Through the two-year MMS program, communities will work to build a comprehensive downtown revitalization program that champions grassroots leadership and preservation-based economic development. VMS staff will provide organizational development services to increase the capacity of each selected community’s local Main Street initiative and prepare them to pursue and successfully maintain the responsibilities of Advancing Virginia Main Street (AVMS) designation, the top tier of VMS participation, and Main Street America Accredited status.

Specifically, VMS staff will help individual communities develop individualized work plans, implementation benchmarks and sustainable operating budgets for their local Main Street program. Communities will also benefit from market analysis, design assessments, grant management, and other tools for impactful success.

“The Virginia Main Street program has been transforming communities for over 40 years, and it continues to be critical to economic development, small business growth and job creation across the Commonwealth.” – Bryan Horn, DHCD Director

In 2023, VMS launched its first MMS program with 10 participating communities across the commonwealth. Nine of the 10 were recently designated Advancing Virginia Main Street communities. VMS looks forward to another round success with the 2025-2026 cohort!