DOWNTOWN HENDERSONVILLE PROGRAM
RECEIVES 2019 NATIONAL MAIN STREET ACCREDITATION
Hendersonville, NC - May 29, 2019 – The Downtown Hendersonville Main Street Program has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs to recognize their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are proud to acknowledge this year’s 840 nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These programs deserve recognition for generating impressive economic returns, preserving community character, and celebrating local history. Main Street America Accredited communities are part of a powerful movement of changemakers, and their dedication to improving quality of life in the places they call home is inspiring.”
In 2018 alone, Main Street America programs generated $4.93 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 5,310 net new businesses, generated 25,301 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,146 historic buildings, and clocked 2.2 million volunteer hours.
Downtown Hendersonville program performance is annually evaluated by the North Carolina Main Street Center which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
2018 was also a fabulous year locally. The Downtown Hendersonville program facilitated and was excited to see the Grey Hosiery Mill rehabilitation project get underway, bringing 35 new apartment units to the downtown area. In partnership with the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority, the program initiated the construction of public restrooms downtown and the renovation of new program offices. The 7th Avenue Depot District has initiated a streetscape planning process that looks to improve the pedestrian experience in the district.
The program has also continued to see reinvestment from the private sector flow into the districts. Our local contributions to the national numbers reported above were nearly $2 million dollars in private sector investment between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018, which helped open 17 new businesses and created a mix of 80 new part and full time jobs. We also saw the expansion of five existing businesses and were fortunate to be the beneficiaries of nearly 2,000 hours of volunteer time.
The Downtown Economic Development Director, Lew Holloway notes that “Maintaining accreditation is an annual program goal that reflects our commitment as an organization to the best practices in downtown revitalization. We are honored to receive this recognition from the state and national Main Street Program’s and are always excited to talk with our community about what we do!”
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ABOUT DOWNTOWN HENDERSONVILLE
The Main Street & Seventh Avenue Advisory Committees exist to identify, preserve and enhance the key factors that contribute to the authentic small town urban character of historic downtown Hendersonville. Organizational projects are identified, assessed and prioritized based on their contribution to and potential to enhance and support a vibrant entrepreneurial environment and the livability of downtown.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $79.12 billion in new public and private investment, generated 640,017 net new jobs and 143,613 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 284,936 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
THIS WHKP STORY SUBMITTED BY:
PICTURES BY: ART COOLEY, President/GM WHKP
Allison Nock
Communications Manager
City of Hendersonville, NC
145 Fifth Avenue East
Hendersonville, NC 28792
(828) 697-3001 (O)
(828) 551-0425 (M)
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