Annapolis economic development office outlines Main Street Maryland plan, seeks advisory board and stakeholder input

Adam Stroud, the city’s economic development manager, described the Main Street Maryland program as “a coordinating program that’s run through the Department of Housing Community Development,” and told a virtual stakeholder briefing that Annapolis will steward the program while building a longer-term, locally managed Main Street organization.

The session, led by Stroud and Hope Stewart of the city’s economic development office, explained the program’s organizing framework and immediate outreach steps. Stroud said the program’s approach is guided by economic vitality, design, promotion and organization, and noted Maryland’s version adds a fifth focus on clean, safe and green spaces.

Why it matters: Main Street programs are designed to support downtown commerce and preserve historic commercial corridors. For Annapolis, city staff framed the effort as a coordinating role that will connect local merchants, building owners, institutions and residents with city services and regional partners to address quality-of-life problems and support economic activity.

Stroud listed local stakeholders the city intends to engage, including business owners, Historic Annapolis and Visit Annapolis, and anchor institutions such as St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy. He clarified the program’s footprint is broader than a single thoroughfare, noting the downtown ecosystem includes Dock Street, the market area, Main Street and adjacent corridors.

On implementation, Stroud said the office is "setting this up in house" and is coordinating with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to meet program requirements while avoiding duplication of existing local groups. He gave a recent, concrete example of interdepartmental coordination: repairing bricks and replacing worn benches at the Kunta Kinte Alex Haley Memorial Park and working with the harbor master’s office on bench replacements.

Long-term plan: Stroud said the city intends to develop a new Main Street organization "from the bottom up" with stakeholder input. The city plans to publish a solicitation to hire a third-party firm experienced in creating Main Street organizations and brands; that firm would engage stakeholders and help stand up a locally focused organization aligned with the city’s economic development office.

Next steps and engagement: Staff will distribute stakeholder sentiment surveys and separate market-research surveys, and offer follow-up interviews to respondents who opt in. Stroud estimated surveys could be released in about a month or by late summer depending on the surveys’ complexity. He urged attendees to sign up for the city’s economic development mailing list; Hope Stewart’s contact information was provided during the briefing.

Advisory board and volunteer roles: Stroud said a new advisory board — a requirement under the Main Street Maryland program — will provide oversight and recommendations. He invited those present to consider serving and asked stakeholders to watch city communications for openings.

What the city asked from stakeholders: report physical issues (for example, pooling water on Dock Street, splintered benches, and localized trash problems), participate in surveys or interviews, consider serving on the advisory board, and sign up for the economic development newsletter to receive updates.

The briefing concluded with Stroud noting the mayor’s office will conduct separate outreach on the effort; staff closed the meeting after providing contact details and asking attendees to contact City of Annapolis TV if they missed sign-up instructions.