In looking forward by looking back, the town of Youngsville is partnering with a private developer to restore its downtown. Crescent Communities gave the town $25,000 for the work.
"That's our main goal, to attract retail business to downtown," said town administrator Brenda Robbins. "Not only for the people moving in here, but for the people who've been here for years."
Youngsville is getting some grant money in addition to the private donation. That money will also help pay for a picnic and children's area at a downtown park, and a shelter for the farmer's market.
The facelift of the downtown area is being done a much smaller scale than what's happening in Raleigh, but it's the same idea. Youngsville business leaders want to keep downtown alive by giving people a reason to visit.
Reconstruction downtown goes hand-in-hand with the new construction going up all around Youngsville. Developers are currently building 15 subdivisions in the area, bringing hundreds of homes and attracting thousands of people.
Youngsville's population doubled in the last 10 years, but that's just the beginning.
"With Raleigh being such a high-growth area, it's coming this way," said Janis Cyrus with the Youngsville Area Business Association.
Business leaders want to be ready to capitalize. Raleigh might bring new people to town, but Youngsville wants to keep them.
"It's going to be Youngsville; it's just going to be better," said Cyrus.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
