Themes from the Annual Main Street America Accreditation and Assessment On-site Visits
March 26, 2024 | Keith Winge
The new year brings many new beginnings. For Main Street programs, it is a time for brainstorming and implementing new projects and initiatives to make our downtowns better places to thrive for both residents and visitors. It is also the time that Main Street America and Missouri Main Street Connection provides onsite assessments and recommendations for local Main Street programs. This is accomplished by the annual Main Street America assessment process that is conducted through a two-part process – a self-assessment and an onsite visit – that not only honors past achievements but also provides a clear path for future development, ensuring sustainable success for Main Street America communities.
The Main Street America assessment process reviews how local Main Street programs are implementing the Main Street Approach™—a framework for revitalization that fosters strong public-private partnerships, grassroots program development, and economic opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs—in their communities. After recent updates to the standards used during the assessment process, new resources are available like the Community Evaluation Framework and a Self-Assessment Tool to help local Main Street leadership understand and meet these standards. The self-assessment recognizes accomplishments, outlines recommendations for growth, and ensures continued impact in transforming communities, celebrating historic character, and revitalizing local economies. Then the onsite assessments identify communities whose Main Street programs have high impact and effectiveness through an accredited designation. Accredited programs demonstrate success in implementing strategies aligned with the Main Street Approach™, which includes four points: Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Vitality.
During January and February of 2024, Main Street America Senior Program Officer of Economic Vitality, Joi Cuartero Austin, and Missouri Main Street Connection State Community Development Director, Keith Winge, visited eight Main Street programs throughout the State of Missouri. The on-site assessments verified the work of the Main Street program from the self-assessment through meetings with the board of directors, city officials, committee members, downtown stakeholders, and Main Street staff over the course of a day. While the reviewers verify the information reported in the self-assessment, the visit is more importantly about supporting and assisting the local Main Street program with obstacles to success, providing best practices, and demonstrating the partnership between Main Street America, Missouri Main Street Connection, and the local program. Several themes presented themselves this year during the on-site visits.
Strong Relationships with City Leaders
The most prevalent observation was that the strongest Main Street programs had a strong relationship with their city leaders. Each entity had identified the important role each other plays in the revitalization of the downtown district. Additionally, they both have strengths and tools to accomplish that overarching goal and put trust in that relationship. Within this relationship is the financial partnership between the two. Main Street America recommends a diverse funding structure for a local Main Street program with public entities (city, county, state, federal) equaling 30% of the Main Street program’s budget. In Missouri, that average among accredited programs is 16.4%. The range of financial support is from 7% all the way to 29%. There is room for growth in this partnership financially for most Main Street programs. This percentage did increase due to the pandemic as the role of the Main Street program was elevated as the small business support system in the downtown which is part of its DNA.
Vacant Buildings
The other common conversation that took place during the on-site assessment, especially with city officials, centered on vacant building registries. In our staff’s experience as local Directors and our partnership with local programs, almost every Main Street has those absentee property owners that do not want to rent or sell their properties or they use their building for storage. Neither of these helps the downtown district or the community. While there are many reasons why these properties remain vacant including not knowing what to do with the vacant building after inheriting it or a fear of the presence of lead paint or asbestos, the tools are limited for motivating these property owners to action. Cities and Main Street programs are trying to figure out how to get these vacant buildings back on the tax rolls and contributing to the health of the community by holding places of activity and commerce inside them instead of just boxes. These factors will give rise to an increased number of cities and/or local Main Street programs creating or revamping vacant building registries.
Cities across the state are talking about implementing a vacant building register for their community or just the downtown district. These registries all work very similarly. When a building becomes vacant, or has been vacant for several years already, the owner must register the building with the city. This does several things by informing the city, fire department, building inspector, and police that this building is now vacant in case something happens while the property owner is not present and could trigger additional inspections. Then to help encourage occupancy of the building, there may be a fee if the building is still empty after a reasonable amount of time has passed for the owner to seek a tenant. Bad things can happen to a vacant building from deterioration to fire thus encouraging property owners to seek a tenant or to sell the building. This can save that building and have a greater impact on the economic vitality of the community. Also, vacant buildings reduce the value of the neighboring buildings and businesses. The goal is to have a vibrant downtown and it starts with occupied buildings.
As part of the on-site assessment process, a follow-up report was compiled and shared with each local Main Street program for them to use as a tool and guide for the next year. Wins are celebrated and best practices shared along with opportunities for growth and advancement. Missouri has over 50 Main Street programs and all must complete the self-assessment and will receive recommendations after the fact. The eight local programs that received the on-site assessment will rotate each year to include some accredited programs re-affirming their designation and assisting others to reach accreditation. Independence Square Association became Missouri’s ninth accredited program this year!
If you are a local program wanting to increase your effectiveness or learn more about the Main Street principles, Missouri Main Street is your partner and can help you do that. Check out our website for those opportunities.
