Downtown Macon’s revitalization gets national award. Organizers say there’s more to come

NewTown Macon has been nationally recognized for its extensive work in the revitalization of downtown Macon: the independent non-profit was honored with the 2024 Great American Main Street Award this week.

The annual award recognizes communities that revitalize commercial districts while also preserving history. Macon-Bibb County held a press conference Friday to announce the win after receiving it May 6 at a conference in Birmingham, Alabama.

Emily Hopkins, vice president of external affairs and Main Street Macon manager, said she was elated when she found out NewTown Macon had won.

“Everyone in Macon – our boards, our donors, our volunteers, our partners, Macon-Bibb County, our downtown businesses – have worked for decades to create the downtown experience we have today,” she said. “Most importantly, we have worked together to ensure that all Maconites feel welcome and have equitable opportunities downtown.”

Selected by a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders in economic development and historic preservation, NewTown Macon was recognized for leading a community-driven effort that nurtures local talent, fosters sustainable development and promotes inclusiveness, according to Hopkins.

She said being recognized for the work on a national scale made her proud of all that has been accomplished as a community.

Erin Barnes, president and CEO at Main Street America, said NewTown Macon exemplifies the importance of growing from within and investing in local human capital, leadership, and pride in community.

“From generational wealth building programs to pride of place initiatives, NewTown Macon offers an impressive model that centers the needs, desires and dreams of locals,” she said.

When NewTown Macon was founded in 1996, roughly 30% of storefronts were occupied and a handful of apartments existed downtown. Today, 84% of storefronts are occupied with locally owned and operated businesses and there are 753 lofts with over 1,000 residents living downtown, according to Hopkins.

She said NewTown Macon has a strategic plan, and 80% of the strategies in the first two iterations of the Macon Action Plan have been completed.

Hopkins said she hopes the award validates NewTown Macon’s process for the progress in downtown Macon so the community will continue to believe and participate in the Macon Action Plan.

“The Macon Action Plan gave us a framework for sharing and documenting our dreams for the future. Our dreams have come true over and over again with each strategy completed in the Macon Action Plan, showing our community that when everyone is involved in creating and implementing a plan, our wildest dreams come true,” she said. “And I think that proves to us that we can complete even bigger and better projects and take on harder challenges that we would never have thought would have been possible just 10 years ago.”

Hopkins went on to say Macon residents have rehabbed the city’s historic buildings and generated more historic tax credit projects in Macon than anywhere else in the country. She said Macon residents currently own and operate every storefront downtown.

She said she hopes the award inspires the community to keep at it and build on its success.

“My wish is that this award gives everyone hope in Macon that if downtown can turn around in 28 years from a place where no one wanted to live, work, or visit to being recognized as one of the greatest downtowns in America, we can replicate this success in any neighborhood and zip code in Macon-Bibb,” Hopkins said. “We’re on the right track - and this award helps prove that.”