May 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: River District Association

Diana Schwartz, CEO

434-791-0210

RIVER DISTRICT ASSOCIATION DESIGNATED AS A 2024 ACCREDITED PROGRAM BY MAIN STREET AMERICA

DANVILLE, VA MAY 13, 2024– The River District Association (RDA) has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

In 2023, the Main Street America programs generated $5.68 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,630 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 35,162 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,556 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,664,763 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $18.03 of new investment back into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.

“We are incredibly excited to celebrate this year’s 800 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their remarkable efforts to reenergize their local economies and public spaces,” said Main Street America President and CEO Erin Barnes. “Main Street leaders are visionaries that see things that no one else can see and create the future world we all want to live in. The size and impact of our network demonstrates that great things happen when visions are realized through strategic, grassroots collaboration.”

RDA’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and Virginia Main Street which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.

These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.

"The River District Association is proud to be part of Main Street America and Virginia Main Street. These designations are not easy to acquire or retain, and we are thrilled that RDA has earned the title of "Accredited Main Street" for the 10th year in a row," said Diana Schwartz, CEO of the River District Association. "Hundreds of communities across the country have used the Main Street Approach to successfully organize their work in historic downtown and commercial business district revitalization for more than 40 years, and we are proud to be part of that legacy.”

For a deeper look at the program’s accomplishments, and stories about River District businessowners and stakeholders, browse the RDA Annual Report at: https://www.riverdistrictassociation.com/about/annual-report

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ABOUT RIVER DISTRICT ASSOCIATION

The River District Association (RDA), formerly Downtown Danville Association, was formed in 1999 to coordinate efforts to revitalize the downtown Danville, Virginia community, now called the River District. Since 2016, RDA and the City of Danville have enjoyed accredited status under the National and Virginia Main Street Programs; the program and accreditation are recognized nationally as one of the most successful formulas for downtown revitalization. For more information visit www.riverdistrictassociation.com.

ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $107.62 billion in new public and private investment, generated 175,323 net new businesses and 782,059 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 335,675 buildings, and levered over 35.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.

Read the May 2024 RDA Newsletter HERE.