At the recent quarterly meeting of the Fredericksburg EDA, Economic Development Manager Richard Tremblay discussed the City’s efforts to revive the Main Street program. The Main Street program is a set of best practices and resources that help guide historic locales, like the City of Fredericksburg, through economic redevelopment while preserving historical significance. There are many Main Street cities throughout the state, some shining examples of success and others still struggling to find what works. The program does not include any hard dollars to carry out redevelopment and preservation, the City will have to decide how to pay for the program. But the model is proven to be successful and it’s something that could be of great value to the City. The EDA would like to have a Main Street program office set up by the end of the year.
The City is also looking to launch a facade improvement program that will help property owners
update the look of their downtown buildings. An architect has done a survey of over 200 downtown buildings to assess the needs of the City and has presented options for improvements consistent with the historic character of the City. Many downtown business owners have expressed an interest in participating in the program.
In other business news, a hotel at Eagle Village is moving forward. The City Council has approved incentives for the project and the state has a new matching program that will be utilized. The Kalahari water park project is still alive, but the financing remains elusive. Finally, the City Council approved a contract to do a complete review of the current zoning maps and designations which haven’t had a comprehensive review since the 1980s.
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