Wadesboro was selected for the N.C. Commerce Department’s Downtown Strong initiative, a spinoff of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Hometown Strong rural North Carolina project.
The Commerce Department is investing $260,000 in the project.
“Downtowns are the heartbeat of rural North Carolina,” Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland said in a news release. “Downtown Strong will help small communities regain their economic vibrancy and position them to retain and recruit new businesses, create jobs and spur investment.”
According to the release, Downtown Strong aims to assist local governments by providing economic-development planning and revitalization resources and guidance, which will help communities prepare for the Center’s Downtown Associate Community program, or to prosper on their own.
The services provided will utilize the framework of the Main Street America program, in which downtown economic development strategies are implemented through four key areas of focus: economic vitality, design, promotion and organization actions.
Headquarters will be at the Commerce Department’s Main Street and Rural Planning Center, and will assist communities who are not currently apart of the Main Street program, or have needs outside of the program.
“We’re excited to be able to offer this service to rural communities across the state,” said Kenny Flowers, assistant secretary for Rural Economic Development. “The Main Street program has a proven track record of success, and Downtown Strong will incorporate components of that successful model into downtown revitalization initiatives for smaller North Carolina communities.”
The Commerce Department used the results of the Hometown Strong counties, and information provided by towns, cities, and counties that work with them, to map out the keys to successful economic development in North Carolina’s rural communities. They have identified leadership development and education, building local government capacity and downtown revitalization as those keys.
Experienced downtown revitalization experts and the the North Carolina Commerce Regional Prosperity Zone planners will work with communities to provide a downtown assessment, and draft a plan for the town to follow. Towns will also receive training and education, as well as opportunities for networking.
Wadesboro stands alongside 23 other communities located in smaller, rural areas.