There's no doubt that Orlando's Main Street District program has been a success, supporting hubs of interconnected businesses and residents throughout a sometimes imposingly sprawling city.
Parramore hasn't been able to reap the same benefits seen in places like The Milk District, Mills 50 and the Milk District, however. Since their Main Street District was canceled in 2008, the revitalization money the neighborhood might have seen was folded in with the Church Street District to create a larger Downtown City District.
"The city determined that until the revitalization efforts of Parramore, and the Amway Center in particular, were further along, it was best to suspend the Parramore Main Street program," officials told Orlando Weekly at the time.
That ended this month with the re-creation of a distinct Parramore district. The historically Black Orlando neighborhood is now included as a separate entity in the program for the first time since the Amway Center was still under construction. The city of Orlando is in a unique place to help out the neighborhood, as the largest landowner in the area by far.
Parramore Main Street head Natasha Gaye hopes to revitalize parts of the neighborhood while keeping the historic residents of the neighborhood in mind, working hard to make sure that residents aren't pushed out by an influx of money.
"Economic development is not bad, it’s great," Gaye told the Orlando Business Journal. "We just have to be mindful of the communities we are in and that they are a part of the conversation."
Gaye said she hopes to focus on "streetscape beautification" at first, seeking grants to rehabilitate shabby properties and make a stroll through the district more inviting. After that, she hopes to bring in support for upstart business owners who might want to open a shop in their own neighborhood.
Parramore Main Street's first event will be a mural unveiling on Feb. 26.
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