Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable and 10th Anniversary Celebration – October 14

HOUSTON, TX – The Houston-Galveston Area Council will host the Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable and 10th Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at H-GAC’s second-floor conference rooms. The event celebrates a decade of the initiative, launched in 2015.

Networking and check-in begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by the program from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration is requested to attend.

Event Program

Attendees will hear from experts and community leaders on topics including:

• A history of the Bringing Back Main Street Initiative and an overview of the recently updated Downtown Revitalization Guide for Local Governments — Andrea Tantillo, H-GAC
• An update from Historic Downtown Rosenberg — Kaylee Manville and Tanya Kveton, City of Rosenberg
• Trends and tools for downtowns — Patty Swords, Langford Community Management Services
• Crime prevention through environmental design overview — TBA

Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in an activity highlighting the best elements of their own downtowns, followed by a roundtable discussion.

A Decade of Impact

Ten years ago, local leaders from small towns and rural communities across the 13-county region sat down with H-GAC staff, economic development professionals, and downtown planners to ask a simple question: “How do we bring our main streets back to life?” That conversation, held during a series of 2015 workshops hosted in Rosenberg, produced the Downtown Revitalization Guide for Local Governments. H-GAC followed those workshops with one-on-one technical assistance to help cities turn ideas into action—and that early momentum was recognized with the National Association of Development Organizations Innovation Award the same year.

Since then, we have hosted more than 40 roundtables and events across 11 of the 13 counties in the H-GAC region. With an average attendance of about 40 participants, the quarterly gatherings provide networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities for community development directors, economic development staff, city managers, planners, nonprofit partners, elected officials, consultants, and engaged residents from both within and beyond the H-GAC region.

Roundtable topics have included tourism and special events, historic preservation, Texas Main Street programs, local regulations and incentives, local food systems, age-friendly planning, trail-oriented development, funding strategies, and attracting businesses, residents, and visitors to downtown. In 2024, the initiative was recognized by the American Planning Association – Small Town and Rural Section for outstanding public education and programming.

Looking Ahead

Now, as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Bringing Back Main Street Initiative, momentum continues to grow. Communities tell H-GAC these gatherings spark ideas, open doors, and shine a spotlight on their local efforts. As we all look forward, let’s continue working together to see an even greater impact in the years ahead.

Learn more: h-gac.com/Bringing-Back-Main-Street

H-GAC couldn’t do this without YOU! If you’d like to host a Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable in your community to celebrate your downtown revitalization successes, or if you have an idea for relevant topics to include in a future roundtable, please reach out to Andrea Tantillo at [email protected].