The Grand Central District of St. Petersburg has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center®, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street® programs that have built strong revitalization organizations and demonstrate their ability in using the Main Street Four Point Approach® methodology for strengthening their local economy and protecting their historic buildings.
“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for meeting our established performance standards,” says Valecia Crisafulli, acting director of the National Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs are meeting the challenges of the downtown in the economy head on and are successfully using a focused, comprehensive revitalization strategy to keep their communities vibrant and sustainable.”
The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Florida Main Street Program, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress and preserving historic buildings.
“This is an exciting time for the Grand Central District, and we are thrilled to once again receive National Main Street Accreditation,” says Lauren Ruiz, Executive Director/Main Street Manager for the Grand Central District. “It is a testimony to the dedication our business owners and volunteers have to the District’s continued revitalization. That dedication has led to several new businesses moving into Grand Central this year, leading to both new construction and the rehabilitation of existing properties. From St. Petersburg’s first Net Zero office building to the 1926 Mari-Jean Hotel building, the Grand Central District is home to innovation and creativity as well as history and preservation. About the Grand Central District: Founded in 2001 and located just west of downtown St. Petersburg, the Grand Central District is designated nationally and by the State of Florida as a Main Street Community. It is home to many local and independent businesses, including restaurants and bars, antique retailers, art galleries, professional and personal services, and health and wellness providers. Grand Central is pedestrian and bicycle friendly and can be easily reached via the Central Avenue Trolley, which makes several stops within the District. The District is supported by the Grand Central District Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working to make the District a retail, dining and entertainment destination for St. Petersburg visitors and residents.
About the National Main Street Center: Established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, the National Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,200 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 32 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $55.7 billion in new public and private investment. Participating communities have created 473,535 net new jobs and 109,693 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 236,418 buildings, leveraging an average of $18 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.
Lauren Ruiz
Executive Director/Main Street Manager
Grand Central District Association
2429 Central Avenue Ste 210
St. Petersburg, FL 33713 727.828.7006
www.grandcentraldistrict.org www.floridamainstreet.org
Courtesy of Grand Central District
Date: June 2013