Mayor Menino Announces
New Main Streets Districts

West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain Selected for Program

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that two new districts-in West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain-will be added to the highly successful Boston Main Streets program. In making the announcement, Mayor Menino said that he accepted the Boston Main Streets Selection Committee's recommendations to designate two new districts, in West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. The selection committee's recommendation was based on its findings that these districts exhibited clear evidence that they are poised and ready to run a successful Main Streets revitalization effort.

"Merchants, residents, and non-profits in both neighborhoods share a common vision and desire to improve their commercial districts-an essential ingredient for success," said Mayor Menino. "I welcome them to our award-winning Boston Main Streets program. Together we are bringing our neighborhood commercial centers back to life, and instilling renewed pride in our communities."

The addition of two new districts brings the number of Main Streets Districts in Boston to 21. Through the program, each new district will receive $258,000 in funding and technical assistance over the next four years.

Boston Main Streets, established in 1995, is a public-private initiative of the City of Boston to revitalize neighborhood commercial districts through locally established organizations. Main Streets is a comprehensive approach to providing merchant groups and community residents with the tools and information necessary for their commercial centers to compete in today's marketplace. Its key areas of work include organization, promotion, physical improvement, and economic restructuring. Main Streets districts capitalize on their unique historical, cultural, and architectural assets, while addressing the economic development needs around business retention, growth, and recruitment.

Boston Main Streets' success stories have been acknowledged both nationally and internationally. The International Downtown Association named Boston Main Streets the 1999 Downtown Achievement Award recipient as a best practice in a downtown organization. Also in 1999, the Pew Partnership, a civic research organization, selected Boston Main Streets to participate in "Wanted: Solutions for America," a national initiative to document and disseminate successful strategies in building strong communities. The Council for Urban Economic Development awarded Boston Main Streets its National Economic Development Program Award.

Since its inception, Boston Main Streets has spurred 2588 net new jobs, 357 net new business, 217 storefront improvements, 427 businesses receiving design assistance, and $619,215 total Boston Main Streets investment in storefront improvements, leveraging $1,904,897 of private sector investment in building improvements.

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