The City of Holly Springs’ Main Street program has again been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center during 2017. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.
“Main Streets are the heart of our communities, and the work they do to create quality public spaces, catalyze local entrepreneurship, and support downtown housing is more important than ever. Across the country, Main Street America programs truly strengthen the economic, social, and cultural fabric of their entire communities,” says Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center.
The City’s Main Street Program is evaluated annually by the Georgia Main Street program, using ten 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, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
During 2017, the City continued to make improvements to infrastructure in anticipation of the redevelopment of the Town Center area. Sidewalk and streetscape improvements funded by the Livable Centers Initiative and Community Development Block Grants were completed to improve pedestrian connectivity. Building rehabs gave small businesses a bump, the City welcomed over 11,000 guests to its community events, and in the Main Street District alone, twenty new jobs were created.
The Town Center Project continues to move forward, and the Main Street Board could not be more excited with its progress. City council approved the Town Center Road Network Concept Plan in April. The Plan calls for the construction of a roundabout east of Holly Springs Fire Station #8 on Hickory Road and the construction of the Palm Street extension just north of Walnut Street to the roundabout on Hickory Road. The Concept Plan also calls for the removal of the stop sign at the intersection of Palm Street and Hickory Road and the conversion of the northern terminus of Palm Street to a right-in/right-out intersection. The engineering plans for the roadway improvements are scheduled for completion in August.
In the meantime, did you know that the Holly Springs Main Street Program hosts its own young professionals meetup? HYPE (Holly Springs Young Professional Experience) meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00am at The Coffee Vineyard for some laid-back networking! We hesitate to even call HYPE a networking event. We are working to build personal relationships among business owners, not just business acquaintances. So, if you are young in age, young in your profession, or young at heart, join us for a cup of coffee, and meet other like-minded individuals.
to your business!