Governor Ralph Northam today announced that 16 communities across the Commonwealth will receive more than $200,000 in Virginia Main Street grants to support projects aimed at revitalizing historic commercial districts, expanding small businesses, and growing local economies.
Downtown Investment Grants were awarded to 12 projects in the towns of Farmville, Orange, Altavista, Abingdon, Cape Charles, Onancock, Tappahannock, Tazewell, and St. Paul, and the cities of Hopewell, Winchester, and Manassas. Community Vitality Grants were awarded to four projects in the towns of Halifax and Pulaski, the city of Petersburg, and Nelson County. The awarded projects will leverage an additional $495,000 in local and other non-state resources.
Below are a sampling of award winning projects:
Wayfinding Fabrication and Installation
$25,000
Town of Farmville
The project will fund fabrication and installation of a wayfinding system identified in a 2020 study to help customers find public parking, improve traffic flow, and ease the transition between car and pedestrian use in the Main Street district.
Alley Activation and Complete Streets
$25,000
City of Hopewell
The project will improve the accessibility, sociability and overall image of the Main Street district through the installation of four bike racks, a bike repair station, and revitalization of a blighted, low-density alley as a viable street for passage, gathering, retail, and festivals.
Façade Improvements and Complete Streets
$25,000
City of Winchester
The comprehensive revitalization project targets a distressed block of Piccadilly Street, which serves as a gateway corridor for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic between the historic George Washington Hotel and downtown pedestrian mall.
Bike Rack/Bench Project
$15,000
Town of Abingdon
The project will fund the installation of benches, bike racks designed in partnership with the local trade school, and wayfinding signage to connect the Main Street district to regional recreational assets, such as the Virginia Creeper Trail. These amenities will encourage visitors to walk, bike, and explore downtown Abingdon, driving customer traffic and sales revenue to small businesses.