HARRISBURG, PA - Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC) is honored to recognize the 22 Pennsylvania downtowns earning national Accredited status, the top tier of recognition by Main Street America ™ . This exclusive designation signifies a demonstrated commitment to comprehensive community revitalization and a proven track record of successfully applying the Main Street Approach™. We also congratulate the nine downtowns who have achieved the Affiliate status indicating that these programs are on the pathway to achieving meaningful economic, social, physical, and organizational improvements in their downtowns and commercial districts.

“We are proud to recognize our Pennsylvania communities as part of a national movement of over 860 nationally Accredited Main Street America ™ programs. These programs exemplify the hard work and dedication of various stakeholders, community leaders, organizational staff, and volunteers who are committed to making their communities better places for us now, and in years to come”, stated Julie Fitzpatrick Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. “We are working to revitalize our older authentic communities to build vibrant and thriving economies where people choose to live and businesses choose to invest. Our current health and economic crisis have demonstrated that our programs are the ones delivering boots on the ground technical assistance services, guidance and resources to businesses when they need it the most.” 

Pennsylvania Main Street programs are the lifeblood of our local communities and both state and national reinvestment statistics continue to indicate their critical importance. Since the early 1980’s, Pennsylvania’s Main Street program participants have provided crucial on-the-ground support for local businesses, particularly those in smaller and more rural communities—attracting more than $1.7 billion in public and private investment, creating over 24,000 net new jobs and over 7,200 net new businesses. In 2019 alone, over 1,000 net new jobs and over 100 net new businesses were created, along with over $7.3 million in public investment, leveraging over $17.9 million in private investment in our Pennsylvania Main Streets.

Accredited Main Street programs are evaluated annually by their coordinating program. PDC, the coordinating program of Main Street America ™ programs in Pennsylvania, is proud to see these downtowns acknowledged for their determination to meet Main Street principles. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively rehabilitating historic buildings.

Click here for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center press release.

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