The Main Street Program – Encouraging economic development within the context of historic preservation.
The Main Street Four-Point Approach® is a unique preservation-based economic development tool that enables communities to revitalize downtown and neighborhood business districts by leveraging local assets – from historic, cultural, and architectural resources to local enterprises and community pride. It is a comprehensive strategy that addresses the variety of issues and problems that challenge traditional commercial districts.
Since its founding in 1980, Main Street has been the leader of a coast-to-coast network now encompassing more than 2,000 programs and leaders who use the Main Street Approach® to rebuild the places and enterprises that create sustainable, vibrant communities. This approach has been implemented in over 1,200 cities and towns in 40 states across the nation with the help of the National Main Street Center and statewide downtown revitalization programs.
The success of the Main Street Approach® is based on its comprehensive nature. By carefully integrating four points into a practical downtown management strategy, a local Main Street program will produce fundamental changes in a community’s economic base.
As a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program, Washington Main Street helps to lead a powerful, grassroots network consisting of over 40 Coordinating Programs and over 1,200 neighborhoods and communities across the country committed to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.
The Renton Downtown Partnership has been a Washington Main Street Affiliate since 2017. We are pleased to announce that in August 2022, we became a full-fledged Washington Main Street Community! Beginning in 2023, this will bestow many benefits including eligibility for additional resources and important funding opportunities like the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program.