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Main Street, Texas

Revitalization program paves way for cities’ economic upswing.

By Tracey Lamphere

Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the April 2008 issue of Texas Rising.

Twenty-five years ago, the city of Georgetown’s downtown square had fallen into disrepair. Many historic building facades were altered and their windows were covered in plywood. Local mom-and-pop businesses struggled to compete with larger, suburban shopping centers in Austin and other nearby cities.

Today Georgetown is a boomtown, with more than $120 million in private investments and a transformed, bustling downtown square. It’s become a model city in the Texas Historical Commission’s Main Street Program. The program helps Texas cities revitalize their historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts by using preservation and economic development strategies. It has resulted in the private reinvestment of more than $1.3 billion in Texas downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts and the creation of 23,000 jobs, and it has opened the doors for more than 5,900 new businesses.

From June 2006 to June 2007 the program saw $87 million reinvested into the downtowns of its 89 designated cities statewide, says Debra Farst, state coordinator for Main Street. Most of the Main Street cities have populations of 50,000 or fewer.

The Texas Main Street Program partners with the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Office of Rural Community Affairs to provide four grants totaling $600,000 annually aimed at economic development in the downtown area. These Community Development block grants have been awarded to Main Street cities since 1992. The grants have provided more than $8 million, leveraging about $19 million in local projects.

Boomtown

Georgetown celebrated 25 years in the Main Street Program in May 2007. The city’s downtown square is now home to restaurants, a theater and boutiques.

In Georgetown’s first few years participating in the Main Street Program more than 44 downtown businesses had renovated or painted their buildings.

“When you look at the photographs of what Georgetown was then and what it is today, it truly is an incredible success story,” says Linda McCalla, the city’s first Main Street manager.

The rebirth of Georgetown’s downtown has attracted new investors and the construction of Tamiro Plaza, a 125,000-square-foot mixed-use development that will include medical offices and retail space.

Grand Saline’s Boost

About an hour east of Dallas, Grand Saline is perhaps best known as Morton Salt’s Texas home. With a population of about 3,000 and just three streets to its downtown, every dollar reinvested in the community has significant impact. Grand Saline has been a Main Street city since 2004.

“There are all kinds of refurbishing projects going on. Downtown is looking pretty good,” says Rex White, interim manager for Grand Saline’s Main Street program.

So far 26 buildings have been rehabilitated, and nearly $4 million has been reinvested into the community. Since 2004, 22 businesses have started, expanded or relocated to the city, adding 44 jobs to the work force.

The Main Street Program has helped secure a $150,000 grant for water, sewer and sidewalk improvements for downtown and helped establish new events such as the Bloomin’ Festival, Main St. Dinner Theater and Cocoa & Carols.

For information about the Texas Main Street Program visit www.thc.state.tx.us. For information on how your community can leverage beautification programs in your economic development strategies, contact the Comptroller’s Local Government Assistance and Economic Development Division at (800) 531-5441, ext. 3-4679 or visit. www.window.state.tx.us/lga.

For more information, contact the Georgetown Main Street Program at (512) 930-3545 or visit www.georgetown.org.