City of Marion
Economic need
The decline of the textile and furniture industries has buffeted the town of Marion (population 6,300), located in tier 2 McDowell County.
Until recent years, half of McDowell's workforce was employed in manufacturing. Since 1990, however, Marion alone has lost more than 2,300 manufacturing jobs. Along with the jobs, the town has lost tax base and utility sales. It had incurred millions of dollars in debt to provide water and sewer service to textile companies; their closing strains it ability to repay its debt while maintain essential town services.
With rising unemployment and poverty now at 17 percent, the town has seen other negative indicators rise, including child abuse and divorce.
History
Marion's downtown has won a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the buildings are one-to four-story brick structures built after a fire destroyed the old town in the 1880s. The tightly configured downtown also includes four historic churches. Nearby, the historic train depot has been restored for community use.
Completion of the depot's restoration in 2005 spurred interest in other historic buildings. Several were recently purchased with a view toward restoration and creation of niche market businesses. Downtown also has been improved with period lighting and underground utilities, but traffic presents a problem. Main Street through downtown is a busy four-lane highway. As a result, pedestrian traffic is light and not inclined to linger, and storefronts have been converted into offices and service businesses.
A potential bright spot for the area is nearby Lake James. Despite the county's lagging economy, residential development on the lake is booming.
Vision/Goals/Expectations
Marion has set its sights on downtown revitalization with the STEP program. It seeks to develop a streetscape master plan and to conduct a traffic flow study. The goal is to make downtown a regional shopping and tourist destination. To fully utilize buildings, it also wants to add residential uses to the upper stories of downtown buildings. It will seek tools to encourage further historic renovation. By encouraging entrepreneurship, it hopes to create sustainable employment and an improved mix of retail, service sector and high-tech businesses.
As it seeks growth, Marion also wants to protect its small town atmosphere by managed and planned development. Encouraging denser development also will make better use of existing infrastructure. Special events will help pull the town together and embrace cultural diversity.
Contact
Freddie Killough, Executive Director
Marion Downtown Business Association
P.O. Drawer 700
Marion, NC 28752
Phone: 828-652-3551
Fax: 828-652-1983
E-mail: freddiek@verizon.net
