Selection Process

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The Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Office of Downtown Development (ODD) is pleased to announce a new selection process for becoming a designated Georgia Main Street / Better Hometown City. Based upon 25 years of field-based experience, it has been decided to shift the selection process for new Main Street / Better Hometown cities from a yearly application round (when resources permitted) to a “readiness-based” process that encourages interested cities to undertake the Main Street Four-Point Approach™ to downtown revitalization prior to inclusion into the program.

Achieving designation will require that a community master the Georgia Main Street / Better Hometown Program’s Minimum Standards, which are primarily based on the National Main Street Center’s Accreditation Standards. Mastering the Minimum Program Standards gives the new Main Street / Better Hometown City its very best chance of success, and means that the new city comes into the program committed to a long-term revitalization effort - a process that takes time and requires leadership and local capacity building.

Detailed below are the steps necessary to become an Official Main Street / Better Hometown Start-up Community.

Step 1

• Letter of Interest from Mayor and sponsoring organization

The minimum standards will be available on the Georgia Main Street website for review.

Step 2

• Initial On-Site Visit by ODD Staff (this visit will be made regardless of whether exploring Main Street / Better Hometown designation or the Affiliate Option)

During this visit, ODD staff will meet with key stakeholders and Mayor to provide information / orientation session, outline the steps / process, discuss expectations and answer questions.

In addition, ODD staff will determine during the site visit whether the downtown district has sufficient quantity and quality of historic downtown structures to launch a successful Main Street-based downtown program as defined in Minimum Standard #4. This determination is necessary for Georgia to remain a nationally certified Main Street ™ Program. If sufficient critical mass of historic structures does not currently exist, then the city will be encouraged to consider the ODD Affiliate Program.

Staff will provide a “To-Do Checklist” which will guide the program towards meeting minimum standards. (See attached checklist)

Step 3

• Letter of Commitment (Standardized Letter)

In order to move forward with the Start-up Process, the community must submit a signed letter of commitment within thirty days of the initial on-site visit. The letter will outline the threshold criteria, specify the “to-do checklist” (for the 6 – 18 month period) and state the community’s intention to complete the Start-up Process within the maximum allotted time.

Should a community choose not to pursue Better Hometown / Main Street designation, but still have an interest in downtown revitalization based on the four-point approach, the community might consider the Office of Downtown Development Affiliate Option. In order to participate in the ODD Affiliate Program, a letter of commitment is required. However, an affiliate community would not go through the identical Start-up Phase, but rather would have a different set of goals. The letter of commitment is the fork in the road.

Within fourteen days of receiving the letter of commitment (for designation), ODD will reply to the community in the form of a letter. The start-up period begins with DCA’s response letter. The response letter will reiterate the Minimum Standards for inclusion into the program and outline areas that need to be addressed in order for ODD to accept the community into the Start-up Program. The letter will also acknowledge the checklist developed by the community and the Regional Downtown Representative as the road map for successful designation. Also included in the letter will be a schedule for completion as well as benchmarks for successful completion. Communities will be reminded that they have not yet been designated as a Main Street / Better Hometown City and therefore, do not have the right to use the Main Street or Better Hometown name and/or logo.

Step 4

• On-site Checklist/ Minimum Standards Assessment Completed

As early as the end of the 6th month (in the Start-up Phase) and as late as the end of the 18th month (in the Start-up Phase), ODD will conduct an on-site assessment visit in the Start-up Community. The Start-up assessment visit is designed to be similar to the ones conducted in designated Better Hometown / Main Streets, however, in addition to evaluating the community on the minimum standards, ODD will also determine if the program has successfully completed its “to do checklist” (as outlined in the letter of commitment). Start-up communities will be required to submit assessment documentation to the ODD Regional Representative 10 days in advance of the visit.

Step 5

• DCA Office of Downtown Development Regional Representative recommends the city for inclusion into the Better Hometown / Main Street Program

If the ODD Regional Representative feels the Start-up Program has successfully completed the checklist and demonstrated that it meets the minimum standards, he/she will submit the program’s assessment materials to an advisory panel for review. The panel will make the final decision on whether or not the Start-up is ready for designation as a Georgia Better Hometown or Main Street City.

Step6

• Application for Designation is Accepted or Denied by DCA

For Start-up Programs approved for Better Hometown / Main Street designation, the final step in the Start-up Process is to sign a letter of agreement with DCA’s Office of Downtown Development.

Should the ODD Regional Representative or the review panel conclude that the Start-up does not meet the minimum standards (and/or was unsuccessful in completing the to-do checklist), he/she will prepare an assessment report outlining the concerns. The community must then sit-out a minimum of twelve months before going back through the Start-up Phase. We encourage the community to continue to work on the minimum standards over the next 12 months; however, start-up technical assistance will cease.

Start-up Time Frame

• The minimum amount of time a community can spend in the Start-up Phase is 6 months.
• The maximum amount of time a community can spend in the Start-up Phase is 18 months.