WHAT IS WAUKEGAN MAIN STREET?

ILLINOIS MAIN STREET LINK

Waukegan Main Street (WMS) is a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization and preservation of historic downtown Waukegan. We focus on the revitalization of the central business district because a healthy, economically viable, and attractive downtown is important to a community's overall health and vitality, and vice versa.

Both the public and private sectors of the community must be involved and committed for a local Main Street program to succeed. Each sector has an important role to play and each must understand the other's needs, strengths and limitations so that an effective partnership can be created.

ENCOURAGE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
within the context of historic preservation

While commercial district revitalization can be addressed in many ways, the Main Street approach advocates a return to community self-reliance, empowerment, and the rebuilding of a commercial district based on its traditional assets: unique architecture, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.

The Main Street approach is incremental and will not produce wholesale, immediate change. If a long-term revitalization effort is to succeed, it will require careful attention to every aspect of downtown—a process that takes time and requires leadership and local capacity building. The Main Street program should be seen as one of many tools that a community utilizes to generate economic and entrepreneurial growth.