UTAH MAIN STREET
Utah Main Street is a network of passionate community members engaged in historic commercial district revitalization. We bring people together to strengthen local economies, preserve the heart of our communities, and celebrate our unique places.
"There's no other program that I'm aware of that can come close to the Main Street America Four Point approach to creating a vibrant downtown. We highly recommend it to any community looking to revitalize their downtowns."
- Paul Larsen, Economic Development Director, Brigham City
MAIN STREET AMERICA
Utah Main Street is a Coordinating Program of Main Street America. Main Street America™ has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
UTAH MAIN STREET BACKGROUND
Utah Main Street initially ran from 1996-2006 and then was piloted from 2019-2021 with Brigham City and Price. During the 2021 Legislative session, S.B 94 created Utah Main Street within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (now known as Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity). In July of 2022, Utah Main Street moved to the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement.
UTAH PROGRAM NETWORK
As of 2024, 18 Utah Main Street communities achieved Affiliate designation with Utah Main Street and Main Street America.
UTAH MAIN STREET & MAIN STREET AMERICA'S FOUR-POINT APPROACH
UMS seeks to build a strategy centered around a community’s unique heritage and attributes, focusing on what’s special to make it a great place to live and visit. The program provides a framework and resources to support a Utah Main Street community's downtown revitalization efforts and requires the community to commit to the time-tested Main Street America Four-Point Approach® downtown revitalization developed by Main Street America™ which includes organization, promotion, design, and economic vitality.
*The Utah State Historic Preservation Office may occasionally link to outside sources of information. SHPO and the state of Utah do not necessarily endorse the provider of the content and are not responsible for any content published on the external site.
Organization
Promotion
Design
Economic Vitality
This Approach is a unique preservation-based economic development tool that enables communities to enhance downtown and neighborhood business districts by leveraging local assets. It is a comprehensive, incremental strategy that addresses the variety of issues and problems that challenge traditional commercial districts. Utah Main Street helps businesses, residents, governments and visitors thrive by connecting them to this customizable framework to focus local efforts, energy, and resources to create a more vibrant downtown. This transformation strategy articulates a focused, deliberate path to revitalizing or strengthening a downtown or commercial district’s economy.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Utah Main Street offers tools, resources and funding opportunities to Utah communities accepted in the program. To learn more about funding opportunities that enhance Utah Main Street, visit the new State of Utah Funding Opportunities Portal to explore state and federal resources available.
Utah Main Street has also developed a Grant Opportunities Dashboard where local communities can learn more about upcoming funding opportunities. View all active grant opportunities on this page.
UMS NETWORK RESOURCES
- Getting Started with Utah Main Street
- Boundary Guidance
- Tier 1 Promising Communities Roadmap
- Tier 1 Promising Communities Application Checklist
- Tier 1 Promising Communities Application
- Main Street 101 Webinar
- Main Street 101 Quiz
- Tier 2 Affiliate Communities Roadmap
- Tier 2 Affiliate Communities Application Process
- Tier 2 Affiliate Communities Application
- Workplan Template
- Quarterly Report Form
- Webinars
- Land Use Library
UTAH MAIN STREET CALENDAR
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tier 1 Promising Communities applications are open until May 16th! Learn more about what you'll need for the application here. Apply to be a Tier 1 Promising Community here.
Tier 2 Affiliate Communities applications are open until April 30th, 2025 on a rolling basis! Apply here! To learn more about applying to Tier 2, review the Tier 2 Affiliate Communities Application Process document and being compiling the information you will need to complete the application. You may also review the Tier 2 Affiliate Communities Roadmap under the UMS Network Resources section of the website to familiarize yourself with the Tier 2 Affiliate Communities journey.
HAVE A utah main street program QUESTION? WE CAN ANSWER THAT.
Chelsea Gauthier
Utah Main Street Program Manager and Statewide Coordinator
(801) 535-2501
Faith Bitz
Utah Main Street Communities and Events Specialist
(801) 535-2520
Karlee Stauffer
Grants Administrator
(801) 535-2503