2025 -- S 0174
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $500,000 TO ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE MAIN
STREET COORDINATING PROGRAM
Introduced By: Senators Urso, Britto, Burke, Tikoian, Rogers, LaMountain, Zurier, Gu,
Felag, and Vargas
Date Introduced: February 07, 2025
Referred To: Senate Finance
(General Treasurer)
WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island is recognized as the 2nd most urbanized state in 1
the country and has many traditionally-developed commercial districts, including retail corridors, 2
downtowns, village squares, and neighborhood commercial centers, herein collectively referred to 3
as “Main Street districts”; and 4
WHEREAS, When Main Street districts are functioning as vibrant places, they yield 5
many benefits to the State and its municipalities, with the potential to generate substantial 6
economic activity, tax revenues, housing, tourism, small business creation, jobs, and real estate 7
development, as well as positive social and public health outcomes; and 8
WHEREAS, Overall, Rhode Island’s Main Street districts are currently not living up to 9
their potential to generate these benefits with local efforts to revitalize and cultivate these districts 10
often inconsistent, not comprehensive, and disconnected from each other, resulting in inefficiency 11
and uneven success; and 12
WHEREAS, Forty-one other states and five city or county governments outside of Rhode 13
Island have successfully increased economic benefits from their Main Street districts through the 14
creation of a Main Street Coordinating Program designed to build capacity at the local level to 15
improve Main Streets districts’ economic vitality, appearance, function, events, marketing, and 16
organization through the trademarked and proven “Main Street Four Points Approach”; and 17
WHEREAS, Main Street programs in other states have collectively tracked $101.58 18
billion in reinvestment, 168,693 net new businesses, 746,897 net new jobs, and 325,199 19
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rehabilitated buildings in Main Street districts since 1980; and 1
WHEREAS, These other coordinating programs are all affiliated members of a national 2
network organized and supported by Main Street America - an organization widely recognized as 3
the premier expert on improving Main Streets’ performance, with thirty-three coordinating 4
programs housed within government and thirteen run as independent nonprofits; and 5
WHEREAS, The well-known and respected RI-based nonprofit Grow Smart RI has been 6
building a relationship with Main Street America since 2021, has studied the program extensively 7
including the different ways it is coordinated at the state level, and is prepared to leverage its 8
twenty-six year history as a conveyor and trainer in place-related issues to implement a Main 9
Street RI Coordinating Program in the State as soon as funding is identified; and 10
WHEREAS, All other state Main Street Coordinating programs receive funding from 11
their state governments, and an investment of $500,000 would provide the necessary start-up 12
costs to launch this program in RI; and 13
WHEREAS, The $500,000 for the formal establishment of “Main Street Rhode Island” 14
would be managed by Grow Smart RI for an initial period of three years, with annual reports 15
detailing progress on the following goals and activities: 16
- Hiring and retention of a full time Main Street RI Coordinator position; 17
- Training for local RI communities provided by Main Street America and its members 18
from throughout the nation; 19
- Monthly educational sessions and bi-monthly networking opportunities for all local 20
groups focused on the cultivation of vibrant Main Street districts; 21
- The management of a “learning cohort” of individual communities to receive 22
customized technical assistance; 23
- Development of an online resource center of training materials, actional research and 24
best practices; 25
- Presentation of an annual full-day conference-style event for learning and sharing of 26
information; and 27
- A signed MOU with Main Street America with Main Street Rhode Island established as 28
the Coordinating Program for the State of RI; now, therefore be it 29
RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated, out of money in the treasury not 30
otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 2025-2026, the sum of five hundred thousand dollars 31
($500,000) for the formal establishment of Main Street Rhode Island, to be managed by Grow 32
Smart RI; and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his orders upon the 33
general treasurer for the payment of said sum, or so much thereof as may be from time to time 34
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required, upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers. 1
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
J O I N T R E S O L U T I O N
MAKING AN APPROPRIAT ION OF $500,000 TO ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE MAIN
STREET COORDINATING PROGRAM
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This resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $500,000 for the formal 1
establishment of “Main Street Rhode Island”. 2
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