Beaverton, OR (5/19/25)] – Beaverton Downtown Organization has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation — Affiliate and Accredited. These designations are a powerful advocacy tool, signaling to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement with a 45-year proven track record of generating impressive economic returns, building local capacity, creating welcoming and inviting communities, and creating lasting impact.
“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”
Beaverton Downtown Association’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors, and Oregon Main Steet, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.
These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends, and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To quality for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proved track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
In 2024, Main Street America programs generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings, and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.
Over the past year, BDA welcomed over 20,000 attendees to its downtown events, awarded $185,000 in storefront improvement grants to local businesses, and launched the new “Boba Dash” and “Beyond Labels” events celebrating culture and inclusion. We also kicked off a historic building mural project, and continued to expand our volunteer base.
“This designation validates the hard work of our staff, board, and incredible volunteers,” said Kirsten Agard, Board Chair of the Beaverton Downtown Association. “In a time of economic uncertainty, we’ve shown what’s possible through collaboration, creative programming, and commitment to equity and small business support. We’re proud to be part of the national Main Street movement driving change from the ground up.”
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ABOUT BEAVERTON DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION
The Beaverton Downtown Association (BDA) is a nonprofit organization committed to revitalizing and enhancing downtown Beaverton through preservation-based economic development, community engagement, and small business support. Through events, partnerships, and investments, BDA works to make downtown Beaverton a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving place for all. For more information, visit www.downtownbeaverton.org.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, the Main Street Movement has resulted in $115.42 billion reinvested locally, 181,647 net new businesses, 815,895 net new jobs, 345,801 buildings rehabilitated, and 37.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.