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 … More Harrisonburg, St. Paul and Waynesboro Win VEDA 2024 Community Economic Development Awards

A walkable community isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential for encouraging residents and visitors to spend more time in your downtown! By fostering walkability in your Main Street district, you can help boost the local economy and cultivate a strong sense of place. You just experience a place differently when you walk around it … More Resources for Enhancing Pedestrian Safety

In 2023, Virginia Main Street (VMS) staff worked with Main Street communities across the state to employ the Main Street Approach to create positive and catalytic impacts. These communities have achieved notable success in revitalizing and preserving their historic downtown / neighborhood commercial districts. From attracting new businesses to fostering community engagement, the unwavering dedication … More The Numbers Are In: 2023 Main Street Impact Review

Old Town Winchester, one of Virginia’s oldest Main Street programs, was designated in 1985. Historically, the program has been administered by the municipality—first by the City of Winchester and more recently by the Economic Development Authority (EDA). In fall of 2022, Winchester received a visit from Main Street America (MSA) as part of a Transformation … More Welcome to Winchester Main Street

Through Virginia Main Street’s (VMS) Firm Principles, Flexible Paths series, the Center of Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) is diving into their 7 Actionable Principles (7APs) to strengthen nonprofits and their relationships with funders. The 7APs offer a common language around key and proven practices, infused with values of equity and growth. The sixth principle relates to … More Firm Principles, Flexible Paths: Collaborate With Communities

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: Forging Relationships for Long-Term Success Revitalizing Trammel in Southwest Virginia Tourism Improvement Districts Volunteer Engagement Strengthening Downtown Connections 7 Actionable Principles Stay tuned for lots more great content in March!

Over the past few years, the Town of Halifax has worked tirelessly to transform downtown Halifax into a hub of activity! Putting its “Halifax Downtown Connections Plan” into action, local leaders and dedicated volunteers / working groups have begun to revitalize the area with improved parking and pedestrian connections, adding wayfinding signage, enhancing alleyways and … More Strengthening Downtown Connections in Halifax, VA

Originally envisioned to mitigate the harsh impacts COVID-19, the Code of Virginia was amended in June 2021 by adding in Chapter 24 of Title 15.2 (Article 3), consisting of sections numbered 15.2-2413.1 through 15.2-2413.11. This authorized any locality to: TIDs are a hospitality-specific model of Business Improvement Districts (BID) and/or Special Assessment Districts. They can … More Tourism Improvement Districts Were Made for Downtowns!

VMS Regional Rev-Up: Strategic Volunteer Engagement workshop registration / details can be found at the end of this post. When it comes to having a thriving and vibrant downtown, you simply can’t do it alone! Having enthusiastic and committed volunteers can grow your organization’s capacity, create broad personal investment in your work, and create a … More Volunteer Programs that Rock!

People Incorporated has been in the business of changing lives since 1964. Headquartered in Abingdon in Washington County, the non-profit community action agency and community development organization has been working to revitalize a community in Southwest Virginia for nearly 10 years. Trammel was one of the earliest “coal camp” communities in the Appalachian Mountains in … More People Incorporated Revitalizes Historic Southwest Virginia Community