Ten Communities, One Goal: Harnessing Data and Community Vision to Drive Downtown Revitalization

Posted on by Department of Housing and Community Development

Over the summer, Virginia Main Street partnered with Friends of Southwest Virginia to launch a regional effort to help communities better understand and unlock the potential of their historic downtown districts. With support from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Downtown Inventory + Real Estate Redevelopment Strategy Project provided critical insight and customized tools to 10 communities.

Led by Place + Main Advisors, the initiative combined market data, real estate strategies, and local input to help each community develop actionable plans for revitalization. As part of the process, each participating community also received a completed a downtown building inventory using the Building Opportunities on Main Street (BOOMS) tool from Main Street America.

A Process Built for Local Impact

Each community participated in a thoughtful, on-the-ground process designed to reflect local context and capture real opportunity in each district, including:

  • Third-Party Data Analysis: Market data, interpreted by Place + Main Advisors, provided a snapshot of current conditions, retail leakage, visitor patterns, and demographic trends.
  • Community Tour: Exploring each district firsthand helped the team understand the unique assets and challenges facing each downtown.
  • Property Tours: Local partners provided access to key buildings in the Main Street district, helping to identify redevelopment opportunities for underutilized spaces.
  • Walking Visioning Session: Residents and stakeholders shared ideas for future uses, business types, and community needs during a collaborative public input session.

Customized Reports & Clear Recommendations for Implementation

Each community received a tailored report outlining:

  • Current market strengths and retail opportunities
  • Real estate strategies to activate priority corridors or properties
  • Marketing and business recruitment recommendations
  • A detailed property inventory and redevelopment ideas specific to the Main Street district

Whether the focus was adding upper-story housing, recruiting retail that fills market gaps, or improving connections to local assets, the plans offer a strong foundation for next steps that local Main Street organizations and their partners can implement.

The project supported the following communities:

  • Bristol
  • Buena Vista
  • Covington
  • Galax
  • Marion
  • Martinsville
  • Pulaski
  • St. Paul
  • Tazewell
  • Wytheville

Together, these communities are better equipped to attract investment, support small businesses, and guide the future of their downtowns with data and community vision in hand.