The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) on Thursday announced the 2020 Virginia Main Street Merit Award winners, with businesses and projects in the Shenandoah Valley and Northern, Southern and Southwest Virginia recognized.

Below are the 2020 award recipients:

• Best Downtown Public Improvement Project: town of St. Paul for the Downtown Comprehensive Infrastructure Project
• Best Adaptive Reuse Project: Seven Sisters Brewery in the town of Wytheville
• Outstanding Business: Grizzly’s Hatchet House in Danville; Lineage in Harrisonburg
• Best Downtown Business Promotion: Historic Manassas Inc. for the Sip and Shop; town of Strasburg for the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Festival
• Volunteer of the Year: Holly Redding for Winchester’s Old Town Advancement Commission

The VMS program, which provides assistance and training to communities for economic development of their downtown commercial districts, currently has 26 designated communities in the state and more than 90 commercial affiliates. Last year, VMS communities generated more than $115.5 million in private investment through 523 rehabilitation projects, which created 732 jobs.

“Virginia’s Main Street organizations are continuing to transform our downtowns into vibrant communities through downtown revitalization, entrepreneurial support and innovative events that highlight what makes each community unique,” DHCD Director Erik Johnston said in a statement. “These winners are shining examples of how to do community development right and are on the front lines assisting our main streets and their businesses through the COVID-19 recovery and reopening process.”

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