Thirty-four communities now part of the downtown revitalization program
NASHVILLE— Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd announced today that Maryville, located in Blount County, has achieved Tennessee Main Street accreditation. The community joins 33 other Tennessee Main Street communities that are accredited through the state program and the National Main Street Center, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Maryville to our network of designated Tennessee Main Street communities,” Boyd said. “They demonstrated tremendous community support for their downtown revitalization program, and we look forward to helping them achieve their goals for Downtown Maryville.”
Downtown Maryville applied for the designation for a Tennessee Main Street district that encompasses more than 40 historic commercial buildings in its downtown. The program provides training, support and grant opportunities to assist in downtown revitalization efforts.
“We commend Maryville for taking this step into growing their downtown district,” Assistant Commissioner of Rural Development Amy New said. “Each community in this program has put much effort into revitalizing their downtowns and I look forward to working with our partners in Maryville to help them continue to grow and succeed.”
As part of the Tennessee Main Street program, Maryville will have access to technical assistance and funding opportunities to continue to make downtown improvements. In 2015, accredited Tennessee Main Street communities generated more than $71.4 million of public/private investment and created 737 new jobs.
Maryville’s accreditation is based upon a successful application submitted by the community. The Tennessee Main Street Program requires communities to illustrate a commitment from local government and other local organizations, an adequate organizational budget, a strong historic preservation ethic, a collection of historic commercial buildings and a walkable district.
Accredited Tennessee Main Street communities are spread across the state and include Athens, Bolivar, Bristol, Brownsville, Cleveland, Collierville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dayton, Dyersburg, Fayetteville, Franklin, Gallatin, Greeneville, Jackson, Jonesborough, Kingsport, Lawrenceburg, Lebanon, McKenzie, McMinnville, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Paris, Pulaski, Ripley, Rogersville, Savannah, Sevierville, Sweetwater, Tiptonville, Union City and Winchester.
The Maryville Main Street application was supported by Sen. Doug Overbey (R – Maryville), Rep. Bob Ramsey (R – Maryville) and Rep. Art Swann (R – Maryville) in the Tennessee General Assembly.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Team Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Tennessee is the only three-time winner of “State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
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