Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs Thursday announced a new technical assistance program called Main Street Ready. This program will assist Indiana communities seeking to become a designated Main Street to set strategic priorities for revitalization based on the community’s vision for downtown.
“Indiana Main Street communities have found great success in improving the quality of life of their residents,” said Crouch, secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Main Street Ready will enable other Indiana communities to envision what is possible for their own development as a Main Street community.”
Prior to participating in Main Street Ready, the community must attend an Indiana Main Street 101 within 12 months of applying or be a current OCRA Downtown Affiliated Network community. ODAN communities must indicate a desire to level-up within the Indiana Main Street program in their annual reporting prior to applying to be eligible.
ODAN communities that successfully level up through the program would be designated as Aspiring Indiana Main Street communities. To learn more about Indiana Main Street levels, visit in.gov/ocra/mainstreet.
“The benefits of being a Main Street community are apparent in each town or city we visit,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “Main Street Ready will help prospective communities ensure they are on the right path to becoming a successful Main Street with strategic goals and a clear vision for the future.”
The Main Street Ready program consists of four stages, beginning with an online community survey to gather input from stakeholders about the downtown. While the survey is open, OCRA staff will conduct a document review of market data, community planning documents and any organizational documents.
Next, OCRA will conduct a one-day community visit where staff will hold interviews with various community partners and conduct a walking assessment of the downtown area. Lastly, OCRA will deliver a final report that includes survey results, community data and recommendations for the community as they pursue downtown improvement activities.
To request Main Street Ready technical assistance, please reach out to your regional community liaison or email [email protected].
To learn more about the Main Street Ready program, or how to become a Main Street community, visit in.gov/ocra/mainstreet/becoming-a-main-street-community/.