Revitalization. Revitalization. Revitalization.
That is a word that many have heard over the past few years when Downtown Elizabethton comes up in a conversation.
Starting this year, city leaders began the discussions of possible rejoining Mainstreet American Program again after Elizabethton was a part of the group in the 80s. The Main Street America Program, which is a part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, focuses on—you guessed it—the revitalization of historic downtowns.
Last week, a couple of public discussions were held at city hall and Planning and Development Director Jon Hartman was happy to see a good turn out at the meetings.
“We are excited to have people show up, especially for a public meeting,” said Hartman after Thursday’s discussions. “Glad to see that there is so much interest in this topic. Everybody is excited about downtown and its revitalization.”
The national-level program is used by more than a thousand communities over the nation. Local communities that are a part of the program include Johnson City, Bristol, Kingsport, and Jonesborough.
“It’s used by over 1,600 communities across the nation, and it is a way of structuring a committee to oversee the revitalization of the downtown and to ensure that downtown continues to be a proactive downtown business area,” said Hartman.
Hartman went on to say that there are many different ways that the program can help a community like Elizabethton.
“They help recruit new businesses to downtown,” said Hartman. “They help with business management, making sure there is a proper inventory of downtown businesses. They focus on existing business support. They ask questions like, ‘What is the market saying that we should be doing?’ There are a variety of ways that they help create a business-friendly ecosystem.”
The Elizabethton City Council will have to vote on whether or not the city would join the program. Hartman said that the city is currently in the public-input stage and that city leaders will meet once that information is available.