SDDA asks for public opinion for the future of downtown Staunton

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - The Staunton Downtown Development Association is asking for public opinion for the future of the Queen City’s historic district.

In a partnership with Main Street America, SDDA released a survey for people living or visiting Staunton to express their joys, concerns and grievances of the downtown district.

Greg Beam, Executive Director for SDDA, said issues in downtown cannot be fixed if no one brings attention to them. He said SDDA is looking for two primary goals they can work on immediately and start making improvements to downtown.

“What are some of the things you love and you like about Staunton and those are the easy asks. We’re also asking folks about some of the things they want to see improved, what are some of the things that may be missing that you’d like to see in downtown,” Beam said. “It’s good to step back, ask those questions and see where we need to go for the future.”

Beam said downtown Staunton has developed significantly over the past 30 years. He said unlike most towns, downtown isn’t limited to one block; downtown Staunton is more of a district and side streets are becoming more and more appealing for businesses to rent on.

Beam said this will give SDDA both an immediate plan and long-term goals to work for.

“It helps us create a plan and a strategy for which we can start to attract additional businesses, add street elements, all those pieces that make downtown so great is what we want to find out from folks, what do they want to see,” Beam said.