About
Mission & Objectives
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance will work in collaboration with private and public partners to develop and implement a comprehensive vision and master plan to revitalize downtown Harrisonburg into a prosperous and vibrant city center.
View HDR's 2011-2012 Annual Report online or see highlights on the Do Downtown blog.
HDR's objectives come from the Main Street Four Points approach:
- Economic Development: Strengthen the downtown district’s existing economic base, seek ways to introduce new types of commerce suitable for a downtown venue, and convert underutilized space into productive uses.
- Design: Promote the enhanced physical appearance of the district by capitalizing on its assets, rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging supportive new construction, and beautifying the streetscape.
- Promotion: Market the downtown district’s unique qualities to potential customers, investors, new businesses, local citizens, and visitors through effective strategies and special events.
- Organization: Build cooperation and consensus between all stakeholders in an effort to meet our mission and objectives, to strengthen our Main Street program, and to improve the quality of life for the people who live, work, and visit in downtown Harrisonburg.
History
In early 2002, the Harrisonburg community came together to discuss the possibility of creating a pedestrian mall downtown. The trend for cities nationwide had been to close their downtowns to automobiles, creating a walker-friendly area. But was a pedestrian mall the right choice for Harrisonburg?
Public meetings were held to discuss the merits and drawbacks of a pedestrian mall. Ultimately, the community decided to keep Main Street open to traffic. From these discussions, however, a strong voice emerged from the community in resounding support of downtown revitalization. On July 1, 2003, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance was born.
The National Trust Main Street Center has developed a method for revitalizing downtown districts across the country. There are more than 1,200 active Main Street programs today, including regional success stories like Lexington, Manassas, and Staunton. In August 2004, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance became a designated Virginia Main Street community, and began following the Main Street approach to revitalization closely. This means concentrating on four separate but equal points: Economic Development, Design, Promotion, and Organization.
Board of Directors
- Andy Perrine, President
- Charlie Chenault, Vice President
- Amanda Monger, Secretary
- Billy Robinson, Treasurer
- Glenda Rooney, Organization Committee Chair
- Tom Clayton, Design Committee Chair
- David Denman, Economic Development Committee Chair
- Sarah MacDonald, Promotion Committee Chair
- Andrew Forward
- Hans Harman
- Lisa Anne Hawkins
- Aaron Ludwig
- Gary Stiteler
- Rob Tucker
- Kai Degner
- Cheryl Wilkins
Advisory Board
- Tom Brubaker
- Dr. Ronald Carrier
- Henry C. Clark
- Kai Degner
- Terri Lynn Denton
- Rodney Eagle
- Chaz Evans-Haywood
- Joe Funkhouser
- Kevin Humphries
- Jeremiah Jenkins
- Barry Kelley
- Hugo Kohl III
- Jenny Kuszyk
- Charles Martorana
- James McHone
- Ragan McManus
- David Miller
- Craig Moore
- Brian O'Dell
- George Pace
- Sean Pugh
- Chris Runion
- John Sallah
- John Sease
- Randall A. See
- Martha Shifflett
- Brian Shull
- Dennis Snyder
- Belle Stemper
- Eugene Stoltzfus
- Judith Strickler
- Dr. Loren Swartzendruber
- Frank Tamberrino
- Shawn Thompson
- Kathy Whitten
Staff
- Eddie Bumbaugh, Executive Director - email Eddie
- Trisha Blosser, Program Manager - email Trisha
- Nicole Martorana, Promotions Manager - email Nicole
- Kim Kirk, Special Events Manager - email Kim