Main Street America Accreditation
Summit Downtown, Inc. (SDI) 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 accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”
In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities.
Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America districts. An estimated workforce of 1.1 million people contribute their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors.
Summit Downtown’s performance is annually evaluated by Main Street New Jersey, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. To quality for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of demanding standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
SDI manages the downtown district assisting businesses new and old as needed, advocating for the downtown with the city and collaborating on beautification projects, offering façade grants to business and property owners, producing retail and promotional events throughout the year, actively marketing and advertising individual businesses and the downtown as a whole, and of course running the best Farmers Market in the state. SDI’s Executive Director and Assistant Director (Nancy Adams and Amanda Lynn, respectively) regularly use the Main Street Approach in their work as a comprehensive strategy to improve and maintain an economically solid business district. Follow Summit Downtown on Facebook and Instagram for updated information downtown.
“We are lucky to have experienced and knowledgeable staff and a great volunteer Board of Trustees running SDI,” says Board Chair Bob Conway, owner of Brownie Points Bakery downtown. “Their commitment to the downtown shows in the work they do that results in a beautiful and strong downtown district that in 2021 was honored by the NJ Chapter of the American Planning Association as one of the Great Places in New Jersey.”
ABOUT SUMMIT DOWNTOWN, INC.
Summit Downtown, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to the on-going development and promotion of the business community in downtown Summit, NJ. Summitdowntown.org
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 $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
