Thirty-five communities now part of the downtown revitalization program
NASHVILLE— Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced today that Johnson City, located in Washington County, has achieved Tennessee Main Street accreditation. The community joins 34 other Tennessee Main Street communities that are accredited through the state program and Main Street AmericaTM, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“I want to congratulate Johnson City on becoming the thirty-fifth accredited Main Street Community,” Rolfe said. “Our Tennessee Main Streets are part of what makes our state so unique. I commend Johnson City for taking this step to invest in themselves and grow their downtown district and I look forward to seeing this great community continue down a road of success.”
Downtown Johnson City applied for the designation for a Tennessee Main Street district that encompasses many historic commercial buildings in its downtown. The Main Street Program provides training, support and grant opportunities to assist in downtown revitalization efforts.
“We are excited to welcome Johnson City to our network of Main Street communities,” Tennessee Main Street Program Director Nancy Williams said. “All of the communities involved in the Main Street Program are putting in a huge effort to encourage downtowns to thrive and we are happy to partner with Johnson City in those efforts.”
As part of the Tennessee Main Street program, Johnson City will have access to technical assistance and funding opportunities to continue to make downtown improvements. In 2016, accredited Tennessee Main Street communities generated more than $154 million of public/private investment and created over 1,000 new jobs.
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, Maryville, McKenzie, McMinnville, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Paris, Pulaski, Ripley, Rogersville, Savannah, Sevierville, Sweetwater, Tiptonville, Union City and Winchester.
The Johnson City Main Street application was supported by Sen. Rusty Crowe (R – Johnson City), Rep. Matthew Hill (R – Jonesborough) and Rep. Micah Van Huss (R – Jonesborough) 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 that 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. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
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