Main Street Initiative
Through a grant administered by Main Street America funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Unlocking Capital), the City of Roanoke was selected as one of three communities in Virginia for a joint cohort with Virginia Main Street.
The Main Street Approach is a focused, deliberate path to revitalizing and strengthening a neighborhood center's economy. Strategies include community engagement and events, volunteer engagement, beautification, small business/entrepreneurial support, and access to grant funds to invest in neighborhoods and fill empty spaces. Together, the City and community will explore what it looks like for Roanoke to have walkable, vibrant neighborhood districts. In other communities, the Main Street Approach has opened up resources and funding that property owners and community leaders used to turn unmaintained buildings and lots into businesses and housing.
When the City created the City Comprehensive Plan 2040 and the Neighborhood Centers Plan, people said they wanted to see neighborhood center areas revitalized throughout the city. The City wants to help make that happen, and the Main Street Approach is one of many tools the City will use to implement the neighborhood centers envisioned in the Neighborhood Centers Plan.
Opportunities to Engage
11th Street Community Survey
Main Street America and the City of Roanoke are gathering input via an online survey about 11th Street NW. It should take about ten minutes to complete. The results of this survey will inform planning for future development and improvements. Your individual responses will be kept anonymous and will not be attributable to anyone by name. Click "Next" to begin.
Stay Informed
Get notified on upcoming engagements and the latest project related news.
Project Updates
Important Dates
Creative Conversations: Reimagining Social Infrastructure.
An inspiring evening of dialogue, design, and community as we reimagine what’s possible for the our neighborhood and thinking about the future.
- Location: 601 11th St. NW, Roanoke
- Time: 6:30 PM
- Event Page.
Hosted by The Humble Hustle Company.
Creative Conversations: Reimagining 11th Street (Part 2)
🗓️ Tuesday, November 18 | 6:30 PM
📍The Collective | 601 11th Street NW, Roanoke, VA
Let’s reimagine, reconnect, and move forward — together.
👉 RSVP or learn more: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd21Xy1ABriB3pjmQT2zC7IJWxcGK9ZvxVctOvXcfh53qIBKQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
We’re bringing back Creative Conversations: Reimagining 11th Street for Part 2 of the Conversation on Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30 PM and we need your voice in the room.
This conversation is bigger than one meeting. It’s about the growth, potential, and future of a neighborhood rich with history, creativity, and culture. Your participation helps shape what’s next, from neighborhood development to community-driven initiatives.
Whether you live here, lived here, work here, or create here, your perspective matters. And this time, we’re asking everyone to invite one other person who values this community as much as you do. Together, we can continue to build something that lasts.
Unlocking Capital Community Meeting
- Date: 11/21/2025
- Time: 9:00AM - 4:15PM
- Location: The Hope Center (am) 510 11th St. NW; The Collective (pm) 601 11th St.
- Facilitator: MSA/Unlocking Capital Team
Agenda
- 9:00 – 10:00 AM – Welcome, Introductions, & Workspace Setup
- 10:00 – 11:30 AM – Walking Tour
- 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM – Working Lunch: Briefing & Opportunity Discussion
- 12:45 – 1:00 PM – Break & Transition
- 1:00 – 2:15 PM – Small Business Voices & Investment Tools
- 2:15 – 3:15 PM – Action Planning Session
- 3:15 – 4:15 PM – Closing Discussion & Next Steps
The Hope Center Annual Christmas Party for Kids
- Date: December 20, 2025
- Time: 2:00PM -- 4:00PM
- Location: The Hope Center (510 11th St NW)
**Community Event
**Free Food, Fun, and Gifts
11th Street Transformation Strategy Workshop
**Date: ** Friday, January 23, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: 601 11th Street, NW, Roanoke VA
Agenda
8 AM – 9 AM: Light breakfast & coffee, Walk-through of 11th Street District (1 hour)
9 AM – 10 AM: Transformation Strategies and Antidisplacement Tools and Historic Designation Overview (1 hour)
10 AM – 10:45 AM: Review and Discussion – Survey (45 min)
11 AM – 11:45 AM: Focus Group – Elected Officials & Key Community Partners (45 min)
12 PM – 12:45 PM: Focus Group – Small Business Owners & Property Owners (45 min)
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM: Lunch – Invite Elected Officials (1 hour)
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM.: Focus Group – 11th Street Stakeholder group, other community work (45 min)
2:30 PM – 4 PM.: Work Time (1.5 hours)
4 PM. – 5 PM: Review with 11th Street and Mosaic Stakeholder Groups (1 hour)
- Possible Transformation Strategies
- Examine the Why – Provide Understanding
- Work Through Some Examples of 4-Point Integration
5 PM.: Adjourn
11th Street Community Visioning
**Date: ** Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: 601 11th Street, NW, Roanoke VA
Agenda
11:30 AM – 12 PM.: Buffet style community lunch, Welcome and overview of Main Street initiative
12 PM – 1:15 PM: Walking tour of the district, community visioning
1:15 PM – 2 PM: Debrief and collect additional surveys/input
A Public Art Conversation with Carrie Gault
Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Online via roanokearts.org/tuesdays or in-person at 117 Church Avenue SW
The discussion will focus on "Gault's Main Street Mosaic - A Public Art Guide for Roanoke's Emerging Neighborhoods" (attached in Supporting Documents below).
Community Easter Egg Celebration
The Hope Center of 11th Street invites families from across the community to enjoy a Easter Egg Celebration for kids on Saturday, April 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Brown-Robertson Park, located at 913 Shadeland Ave NW, Roanoke, VA 24012.
More information can be found on The Hope Center's social media.