Community leaders from a local nonprofit, Marshall Moving Forward, are on a mission to bring Main Street in Marshall, Virginia into a new era.
“What I see is a unique place where visitors can engage with residents,” Robert Doane, President of Moving Marshall Forward said.
What I love about our area is that visitors can be eating dinner at a local restaurant and bump into the producer who grew the food they are eating or the vintner who made the wine they are drinking.
robert doane, marshall moving forward’s president
Doane is like many residents of the area. He is deeply involved in the community through the nonprofit, and he lives in town and works at Field & Main Restaurant on Main Street. He wants visitors to the area to experience the atmosphere and charm of rural Virginia.
“We believe in the revitalization of our area,” he said. “We live, work and play here.”
Anne Michael Greene is Vice President of Moving Marshall Forward. She owns property on Main Street and works as a realtor at Middleburg Real Estate. Greene has been an integral part of the renovation plans and is looking forward to the completed project as well.
“This project has been a culmination of planning and since the 90s, and we are excited to see it to completion by Spring of 2022,” she said.
We are revitalizing about a third of a mile and are improving everything from safety to aesthetics.
Anne Michael Greene, Vice President, Marshall Moving Forward
The scope of the renovation goes from the intersection of Winchester Road in to Frost Street in Marshall and is made possible by both public and private funding. Plans include dropping power and communications lines underground, upgrading sidewalks, adding additional lighting and providing designated parking in addition to planting trees. The aesthetic will represent an old colonial-style using modern materials such as brick-stamped sidewalks and energy-efficient LED lighting to preserve the night skyline.
“There are so many shops and restaurants accessible by foot when you stroll up and down Main Street,” Greene said. “From Johnny Monarch’s with their vintage double-decker bus and the award-winning Red Truck Rural Bakery to an antique shop called Marshall Curated, there is so much to do. We even have Callaway Classics which will feature classic, American cars and is housed in the oldest Ford dealership in the country in a building that is more than 100 years old.”
Greene also notes that a new community by Van Metre, The Heritage of Marshall, is bringing 350 units of single-family and townhomes to the area and will add even more reason to give Main Street a refreshing update.
Neal Wavra, owner of Field & Main and Secretary of Moving Marshall Forward has worked with the team along with Treasurer Paul Lawrence who is a fifth-generation Marshall resident to put the plan together and execute it.
“We could not have moved this renovation forward without the support of the entire team,” Greene said.
Doane agreed.
We are excited to see progress on Main Street. And we have heard positive feedback and excitement buzzing in the community as well.
For more information about the Main Street project and Moving Marshall Forward, visit:
Marshallmovingforward.com
By Elizabeth Denham
