News

Main Street Center recognizes city for vitality, preservation

By Bill Moss, Published: June 27, 2016

Hendersonville is one of 44 towns in North Carolina that the National Main Street Center recognized for economic vitality and adherence to best-practice standards for historic preservation and community revitalization.

The National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, cited 44 North Carolina communities this year. Hendersonville made the list for the first time along with Cherryville, Lexington, Lincolnton, Rocky Mount, Rutherfordton, Sanford, Shelby, Sylva, Waxhaw and Williamston.

Communities re-accredited this year were Belmont, Boone, Brevard, Burlington, Clayton, Clinton, Concord, Eden, Edenton, Elizabeth City, Elkin, Fuquay-Varina, Goldsboro, Hertford, Hickory, Kings Mountain, Lenoir, Marion, Monroe, Morganton, Mount Airy, New Bern, North Wilkesboro, Roanoke Rapids, Roxboro, Salisbury, Smithfield, Spruce Pine, Statesville, Wake Forest, Washington, Waynesville and Wilson.

The performance standards set the benchmarks for measuring a community’s application of the Main Street Four Point Approach to commercial district revitalization. Standards include fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

Since 1980, the North Carolina Main Street program has generated $2.3 billion in private and public investment. In 2015, North Carolina Main Street downtown districts generated 228 net new businesses, 82 business expansions in existing businesses, 358 net new jobs, 282 façade rehabilitations and 215 building rehabilitations. More than 74,188 volunteer hours were recorded.