The Town of Marion has been selected as one of five communities across Virginia to participate in the 2022 Virginia Main Street Work from Home Pilot project. The pilot project’s services provided to Marion are valued at $10,000.
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed where and how people work. This rising remote work and telecommuting is no longer simply a trend and is expected to become part of the new normal post-pandemic. Remote workers can make their home almost anywhere and are increasingly basing this decision on quality of life factors as they bring their jobs with them to their new communities. Attracting and integrating remote workers into their new community can bring new energy and investment to downtown and many other elements of rural places.
Working with Virginia Main Street and the National Main Street Center, the Town of Marion and Marion Downtown! will work to leverage remote work opportunities as part of a comprehensive downtown revitalization strategy. Technical assistance will be provided over a six-month period to analyze the demand, target market, amenities, and opportunities for supporting remote workers. This project will include the development of a remote work assessment tool, a summary report with a set of recommendations and resource options for implementation.
The Town of Marion and Marion Downtown! will host a series of meetings with local leaders in Marion on June 1. These meetings will be conducted by Matt Wagner from the National Main Street Center.
According to Ken Heath, Director of Community and Economic Development for the Town of
Marion and Executive Director for Marion Downtown!, “As Marion grows, especially with the
diversity offered by Emory & Henry College, SWVMHI, Marion Correctional Institute, General
Dynamics, and other employers, we are finding that the pandemic has casued a refocus of
priorities for many, with quality of life exceeding many other factors. Several of our newest
residents are here simply because they can remote work and love the lifestyle offered here in
America’s Coolest Hometown.”
Virginia Main Street has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts in
Virginia for more than 35 years. Today, the program is a network of 28 designated communities
and more than 80 affiliate communities who share both a commitment to place and to building
stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.
