In Case You Missed It: February 2025 Digest

Posted on by Department of Housing and Community Development

During the month of February, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) team published seven blog posts, highlighting the latest community-vitality news, events and more! Here’s a recap:

Newly Designated Communities

  • The Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development has designated Buena Vista as an Advancing Virginia Main Street community. Click here to learn more!
  • The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development has designated Phoebus as an Advancing Virginia Main Street community. Click here to learn more!

Celebrating 40 Years of Main Street

  • We got to celebrate at the VMS 40th Anniversary Reception, held inside the historic Main Street Station in Richmond. Governor Youngkin honored the legacy and impact of the VMS program, while Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America, delivered a keynote address. Past and present Main Street leaders and supporters gathered to celebrate the remarkable impact of Virginia’s Main Street communities. Click here to learn more!

Demonstrating the Value of Main Street

  • How does a small town make the case for investing in Main Street? For Cape Charles, Virginia, the journey began with a simple but essential question: What value will this bring us? This first installment of a two-part series explores how Cape Charles Main Street (CCMS) demonstrated its impact to the town government, forging a strong partnership that has fueled revitalization. Sustainable downtown revitalization isn’t the work of a single organization—it succeeds when the public and private sectors collaborate toward shared goals. Click here to learn more!

Facade Improvements

  • Façade improvements, even simple ones, have the power to not only preserve valuable historic resources but also to spur positive change throughout an entire community. In 2023, Farmville Downtown Partnership received a $50,000 VMS Downtown Investment Grant to establish a façade improvement matching grant program for district business and property owners. Additionally, the funding supported the development of a comprehensive design guide to assist those undertaking façade renovations on downtown commercial buildings. Click here to learn more!

Empowering Black Entrepreneurs

  • In 2022, the New Hill Development Corporation received a $150,000 Virginia Business District Resurgence Grant (VBDRG) from the DHCD VMS program and a $189,000 GO Virginia grant to support the creation of a business accelerator, commercial kitchen and co-working space for Black food and beverage entrepreneurs in and around the Carlton / Belmont community of Charlottesville. Click here to learn more!

AARP Community Challenge

  • The AARP Community Challenge grant program is part of the nationwide AARP Livable Communities initiative that helps communities become great places to live for residents of all ages. The program is intended to help communities make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress. Click here to learn more!

Stay tuned for lots more great content in March!