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Officials hope to revive downtown cores like this one in Sullivan.
(Wikimedia Commons)Nine small Indiana communities will pilot a new initiative that seeks to bolster development in their downtown cores.
The IMPACT Main Street program hopes to strengthen and protect existing businesses, encourage expansion, and create job opportunities by infusing resources in downtown cores that have traditionally suffered at the hand of urbanization.
The state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs will oversee the process.
Executive director of the state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Jodi Golden, says growth is the most important metric.
"Ultimate success would be to see diverse economic growth come out into these communities," says Golden.
Each pilot city will work with Ball State University’s Indiana Communities Institute to analyze unique market conditions, attract new local businesses, and launch a business investment strategy.
Funding for the program will come from a federal grant, and officials hope to add more communities after the pilot phase.
The first community reciepents include: Seymour, Fairmount, Tell City, Tipton, Rockville, Sullivan, Dillsboro, Elwood, and LePorte.
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