MDF’s Maine Downtown Center Welcomes Lewiston and Bangor as Affiliate Communities

MDF’s Maine Downtown Center (MDC) is pleased to announce that Bangor and Lewiston are joining its Maine Downtown Affiliate Program.  

MDC works with Affiliate communities to gauge downtown assets, identify priorities for revitalization, build an appropriate organizational and funding base for an effective downtown/neighborhood commercial district, and begin to use the Main Street Four Point Approach®, a proven downtown revitalization method for over 40 years. Affiliates have access to training by state/national downtown development experts and a network of peers from around the state to share best practices in the field.   

Both communities completed an extensive application process that included an online application, a written commitment to the program, a site visit, and a review conducted by professional downtown revitalization experts that serve on the MDC Advisory Council. 

“Downtown Bangor is excited for the opportunity to join the Maine Downtown Center program as a Downtown Affiliate,” says Betsy Lundy, Executive Director of Downtown Bangor Partnership. “Becoming part of this state network of downtowns across Maine that collaborate under the guidance of Maine Downtown Center and Main Street America will provide a support system that will help Downtown Bangor succeed in its mission to foster growth and vibrancy in our community” 

Both Bangor and Lewiston have staff and volunteers who will work over the next year to build relationships with businesses, residents, property owners, and the municipality to pursue economic development strategies and work guided by the Four Point Approach®. 

“We are thrilled to partner with the Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center and join their program as a Maine Downtown Affiliate,” says Danielle Snow, Chair of the Downtown Lewiston Association (DLA). “For more than a decade, the DLA has worked with our partners, business owners, residents, and volunteers to overcome significant challenges and reimagine our historic downtown as a vibrant place to gather, shop, celebrate, and belong. This opportunity opens new doors for us to build on our collective work by drawing on proven best practices and the wisdom of communities across Maine and the United States. We are grateful to the Maine Downtown Center for seeing the potential we see here in our community. We’re excited to work with them as we continue strengthening downtown Lewiston as a place of community and economic opportunity.” 

With the addition of Bangor and Lewiston, The Maine Downtown Center now supports 34 member communities throughout Maine: 10 Nationally Accredited Main Street Communities, 15 Maine Downtown Affiliate Communities, and 9 Municipal Communities. Some are in the initial stages of downtown revitalization while many are working toward achieving nationally accredited “Main Street” designation.