Main Street Recommended for Georgia Avenue
3600 block of Georgia Avenue, looking north from Lion’s Fine Wines and Spirits.
Earlier this year, the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) initiated a process to hire a consulting team to study to see if lower Georgia Avenue would benefit from a Main Street Program. DC Main Streets is a comprehensive program that promotes the revitalization of traditional business districts in the District of Columbia.
At the October 12th meeting of the Georgia Avenue Community Development Task Force a member of the consulting team, Jon Stover, was in attendance and gave an update of the Main Street Feasibility Study. In short, the study will recommend to DSLBD to initiate a Main Streets program on Georgia Avenue. At the meeting, Stover gave an overview of the highlights, and also cautioned that even though a Main Streets is recommended, DSLBD will still have to make a determination themselves.
The area recommended for the Main Streets is Georgia Avenue with Florida Avenue as the southern boundary and Upshur as the northern boundary. This is a 24-block stretch of Georgia Avenue, which is longer than what is normally taken on as a Main Streets, but not excessively so. But, because of this in part, it is also recommended that this area be organized as two smaller areas that wrap up to one central head. In this case, Kenyon Street would be the dividing line between the northern half and the southern half.
Main Streets are typically funded with DSLBD providing 50% of the funds and the remainder coming from the organizing efforts and management that takes charge. In this regard, Stover indicated that there is one significant risk factor for Georgia Avenue, which is that currently there is no preexisting entity or organization that has a history of fundraising for the community. That doesn’t mean that there can’t be one, and we surely need one, but one doesn’t exist at this time. Because of this, part of the recommendation is that the funding for the initial year be $75,000 instead of the normal $200,000, with subsequent annual funding amounts increased as the organization gets up and running. This approach isn’t typical, but there is precedent for it and it has been one successful way to get this up and running.
The one risk factor aside, the other indicators strongly suggested that Georgia Avenue was ready for a Main Streets program. There is support from the community and local businesses and everyone wants to see Georgia Avenue thrive.
Explore posts in the same categories: Small BusinessesTags: businesses, Georgia Avenue corridor, Main Streets
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Park View, D.C. 
October 20, 2015 at 8:41 am
Count me in. Georgia Ave needs some major help! Are Nadeua and Todd both lending their help? We need better engagement from our elected officials.
October 20, 2015 at 11:15 am
I support Main Streets around the City but I think communities overestimate what they can do. They need money, A LOT of money and only a limited amount will come from the city on a regular basis. Many main streets are started and fail. GA ave has a lot of potential but the main street will need to rely on a signifcant new amount of development to drive donations, funding and support. Communities fighting even small developments like the one proposed at New Hampshire at the metro does not bode will in my opinion. H Street is very successful in that there was a lot of infrastructure investment from the city, tremendous new major investments who assist with funding of the H Street fest etc.
October 20, 2015 at 5:49 pm
Which is why they are extending to upshur. We all know there’s only crap around Howard and the good stuff is after New Hampshire
October 20, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Kent –
Can you put a block on “gentrify-u”? He/she is only trolling for attention and doesn’t add value to the discussion.
October 21, 2015 at 9:45 am
I’m the Trump of GA Ave. block me all you want, plenty agree with what I say but are afraid of saying so.
October 23, 2015 at 7:00 am
Do your know that Ward 4 doesn’t have one Main Street corridor? I’d like to see upper 14th St & Kennedy St added.
October 26, 2015 at 11:33 am
Kennedy Street had a Main Street years ago but it failed.
July 31, 2016 at 9:38 pm
it’s obvious that the program should be extended to at least Kennedy Street.