During the week-long workshop that began July 20, the Mississippi Main Street Association and the Laurel community rallied together to develop a master plan for the development of historic downtown. The final product was a public presentation of architectural and landscaping renderings as well as analysis of economic opportunities. Now, many residents and business owners are eager to see that presentation made reality.

“The presentation from Main Street will be an amazing catalyst for change in our community,” said Erin Rasberry Napier, a graphic artist and downtown resident who participated in the workshop. “If we can just keep up this momentum, our little community is going to keep buzzing with life and activity. I would love to see more art, more food, more specialty shopping, and most of all, life breathed into the old structures of our downtown.”

The Mississippi Main Street Association provided the workshop to Laurel Express, the local Main Street program, as part of membership in MMSA. The 10-person workshop team was headed by Stacy Pair, southern district manager of the MS Main Street program. The team spent the first two days of the workshop gathering community input and understanding the history of Laurel. The team’s recommendations were met with applause at the final presentation to the community in the Train Depot on July 23.

The plan for downtown Laurel included a proposal to eventually develop a portion of the seven acres of city owned parking lots surrounding the district into new construction. New development would take place after existing downtown vacancies have been filled and dilapidated or condemned structures have been addressed.

“Downtown areas rarely have this much development opportunity available to them,” said Tom McGilloway, from Mahan Rykeil and Associates of Baltimore. McGilloway was one of four landscape architects participating on the Main Street team.

Matt and Amy Flowers, owners of Café la Fleur, believe downtown has been reanimated by the Main Street revitalization effort. Their New Orleans-style restaurant is a long-standing staple in the historical district. The couple has witnessed many attempts to improve downtown come and go, but they believe the current effort is on the right track.

“Talk is cheap, but now things are happening that have never happened before,” said Matt Flowers. “For the first time in the 12 years we’ve been down here, I’m really excited about the outlook. This is a fresh start for downtown. There are people taking it by the horns and money is being spent.”

According to Laurel Express director Jackie Lee, the next step is to encourage further development in downtown by making property information and incentives available to potential investors. State and federal tax credits can ease the expense of renovating a historic property.

“The Laurel Express office serves as a hub for this information, and whenever possible we will assist with the sale of these properties,” said Lee. “In the meantime we will continue to identify funding and begin implementing design improvements to the district.”

From January 2008 to present, more than $3.7 million of private investment has been spent to improve a dozen properties in downtown Laurel. In 2009, more than seven new businesses have opened their doors downtown. Despite national trends, there is little sign of slowed growth in the City of Laurel, with as many as ten new businesses opening each month so far this year.

“We are currently at a crossroad of opportunities to put downtown Laurel on the map as a place to live and play and certainly to start a new business,” said Lee. “Within the next few years, we hope to see changes to the economic and cultural landscape that will take downtown Laurel from best-kept secret status to a real source of pride in South Mississippi.”