Destination Downtown South Boston has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center, Destination Downtown South Boston Executive Director Tamyra Vest announced Friday.
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 nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities,” said Patrice Frey, president and 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.
Destination Downtown South Boston’s performance is annually evaluated by The Virginia Main Street Program, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet 10 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.
Destination Downtown South Boston is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit volunteer based organization dedicated to the economic and cultural revitalization of Downtown South Boston.
