Mesquite, TX – June 18, 2020 – The Mesquite Downtown Development program has earned a designation as a Nationally Accredited Main Street program. The honor was announced on Wednesday by the National Main Street Center. Downtown Mesquite is the only first-year program in Texas to receive this distinction.

Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center said, “We are thrilled to recognize this year’s Accredited and Affiliate programs and their dedication to the revitalization of their commercial districts. Their hard work to advance strong local economies and improve the quality of life in their downtowns is what makes our national movement so powerful. Especially during these difficult times, the Main Street Network will be crucial to strengthening local economies and ensuring downtowns remain vibrant in the years to come.”

“We are so honored to receive National Accreditation so early on in the life of our downtown revitalization program,” said Mesquite Downtown Development Advisory Board Chairman Brad Brandt. “The evaluation process for accreditation requires a great deal of effort and is a confirmation that we are on the right path, even in these early stages.”

This exclusive designation signifies a demonstrated commitment to comprehensive community revitalization and a proven track record of successfully applying the Main Street Approach™. The road to accreditation begins with regular collection and reporting of data by local programs to the Texas Main Street Program of the Texas Historical Commission. Local programs must demonstrate that they have distinct strategies and performance related to community commitment to downtown, leadership and organizational capacity, diverse and sustainable funding; strategy-driven programming, preservation-based economic development and demonstrated results. The state program recommends National Accreditation to Main Street America, the national organization for Main Street program.

Mesquite was designated as a Main Street community by the Texas Main Street program in January 2019. Accomplishments since that time have included:

• Front Street Station, a $5.5 million improvement project that is slated to be completed in December 2020. It will feature a new event area, improved infrastructure to attract new businesses and additional parking.
• Receiving the Texas Downtown Association’s Spirit of Downtown award for the effort to create a downtown revitalization program.
• Earning the Texas Downtown Association’s Best Economic Game Changer award for The Gathering at Corner Theatre in recognition of its part in revitalization efforts, including a pop-up coffee shop.
• Creation of new events like Carols and Cocoa and participation in national events such as Small Business Saturday.
• Launch of the Downtown Mesquite Façade Improvement Program which has already led to approximately $20,000 in investment for downtown businesses.

Since 1981, Texas Main Street communities have reported more than $4.5 billion in reinvestment into their historic downtowns, as well as reporting the creation of 10,560 small businesses and 42,546 jobs. During 2019, the 89 designated Main Street communities in Texas reported more than $315 million in reinvestment; the creation of 2,007 jobs, and 508 small businesses.

The TMSP was one of the first state-coordinating programs in the country, accepting its first local programs in 1981. Local Main Street programs focus on responsibly utilizing a community’s historic assets in its downtown for economic benefit and increased quality of life. For more than four decades, 180 communities have been accepted in the state program. There are currently 89 designated communities in Texas. Main Street communities are selected through an application process.

For more information, please visit www.cityofmesquitecom/downtown or call 972-216-6450.