DEL MAR — Del Mar has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
To continue to support the village business community, the Del Mar Village Association’s new programming for 2014-15 has been very active with new planned events such as DMVA’s Pop-Up Culture (concerts planned for the village on Sundays in September), partnership with the Italian Film Festival, increased marketing efforts and new downtown design projects.
Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to historic preservation and community revitalization through the Main Street Four Point Approach. Only 700 programs nationally have attained this accreditation.
One benchmark for the success of a Main Street program is the reinvestment ratio measuring the annual average amount of new investment in a downtown. In 2013, Del Mar village had seven new businesses open and 18 new private sector business enhancement projects. In addition, there have been seven public sector projects to enhance downtown Del Mar. In total, the public and private sector reinvestment in the downtown village of Del Mar for 2013 exceeded $3.5 million.
“To be designated as a California Main Street community, less than a year ago and now to achieve this national recognition, is truly rare for a community of this size, said Jen Grove, executive director of the Del Mar Village Association. “While it may be rare, Del Mar has a unique group of residents and business owners with a very supportive city council and mayor working together as partners to achieve extraordinary goals for our community. DMVA has grown into a respected community development organization in Del Mar, and has helped revitalize our historic district through special events, targeted marketing and business recruitment and retention among other programming.”
