Report on the Lovingston Revitalization Project

April 2005 Lovingston Project Update

• Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development planning grant program
• Market Analysis
• Lovingston Historic District project

Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development planning grant program is designed to aid communities with the greatest community development needs in creating clearly articulated strategies for addressing those needs following meaningful citizen participation.  Phase I project planning grant determines the business district≠s level of need ($5000).  Phase 2 planning grant begins to address the elimination of physical and economic blight in the business district ($30,000).

Lovingston Business District Revitalization Project Timeline:

• Once DHCD has approved our strategy and the contract for the consultant, we will begin the work, with the goal to complete an application for construction funds (up to $750,000) by March 2006
• March 11, 2005 - letter from DHCD notifying us that a contract is forthcoming
• February 1, 2005 - monthly management team meeting
• December 2004- RFP issued for project consultant
• November 10, 2004 and January 25, 2005 - DHCD Facilitated Planning Strategy Meetings
• September 2004 - Notification from DHCD that ≥the County and the stakeholders have demonstrated an acceptable preliminary level of interest and demand necessary to move forward with the Lovingston Revitalization Project.
• Final report to DHCD - July 30, 2004
• Management team meeting - July 21, 2004
• Preliminary identification of professional services by County staff - July 20, 2004
• Downtown surveys (2) - physical inventory and market analysis report - July 9-16, 2004
• Initial public meeting - July 12, 2004
• Initial management team meeting - July 1, 2004
• June 2004 - Received notification that Phase I grant accepted
• May 2004 - Applied for Phase I planning grant ($5000)

There are 5 major areas for the revitalization plan:

• Housing
• Economic Development:
• Blight Determination
• Infrastructure - Water/Sewage/Drainage/Road/Pedestrian Systems
• Flood Mitigation

Other efforts being coordinated for the revitalization of Lovingston include:

• Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission Safety (transportation) Study
• Virginia Main Street community programs
• Historic district application
• Courthouse renovation
• Target business study completed November 2004
• 2007 bicentennial celebration - also Jamestown 2007

Market Analysis
Lovingston is an Affiliate Virginia Main Street Community.  As an affiliate, we qualified for a reduced rate to work with Kennedy Smith, former Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center.  A contract with The CLUE Group, Kennedy's consulting firm, has been issued.  The deliverables of the contract include a sales gap analysis. The CLUE Group will calculate the "buying power" of Lovingston and area residents and will compare this information to current retail sales information, identifying retail categories in which downtown is likely losing sales to other shopping areas and in which it appears to be exceeding likely local market demand. The analyses of these retail sales voids and surpluses will help the CLUE Group calculate the quantity of new retail sales the downtown can likely support over the next five to ten years (both by helping existing businesses increase sales and also by developing new businesses) and estimate the amount of new retail space these increased sales can likely support. The CLUE Group will prepare a brief report (15-20 pages, plus appendices), outlining our findings and recommendations, and will present these findings and recommendations in a two- to three-hour presentation.
 
 
Timeline for Lovingston Historic District Process

• September 2005 - State Review Board makes its decision on the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register
• July 2005 - Public meeting to update the community
• June 2005 - Formal notification to Lovingston property owners from DHR
• February 2005 - Halfway point of the survey work and nomination process
• January 27, 2005 - Public meeting to update the community
• December 2004 - An informational flyer is distributed to residents about the district and the nomination process
• December 14, 2004 - Nelson County board of supervisors meets Arcadia Preservation and receives an update on the project from DHR
• December 6, 2004 - Nelson County staff meet with DHR and Arcadia Preservation to begin the survey work
• October 2004 - DHR hires Arcadia Preservation (project consultant)
• August 2004 - Request for proposals advertised to hire the consultant to write the formal nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Land-marks Register
• June 2004 - DHR offers a cost share funds to Nelson County; the board of supervisors approves their match
• May - June 2004 - Nelson County submits a preliminary information form (PIF) to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR)