The Washington Street business district – the stretch between North Centennial Street and Gaylord Court – was once High Point’s “Black downtown” prior to desegregation and served as the economic and cultural hub of the African American community. Today the area suffers from a lack of investment and many of the buildings along the four-block corridor have been lost to demolition. This general deterioration has been decades in the making. The City of High Point recognized the need to coordinate with business and neighborhood leaders in this district to initiate efforts to revitalize the area in 2008 and created a detailed plan – the Washington Drive District Plan – that included recommended actions to stem the decline and incentivize the rehabilitation of the historic structures before additional buildings were lost. Unfortunately, while the 2008 plan was (and is) an excellent planning document, there was very little execution on the part of the city to ensure the recommended actions were implemented.

As part of this comprehensive planning effort, Washington Street has been designated as a neighborhood activity center – an area where the city will focus planning/zoning and development efforts, combined with economic incentives, to create a viable mixed-use center. Art will play a role in the revitalization of this area and is reinforced by the proposed Black Box Theatre.

In addition to the recommended designation as an activity center, Washington Street was officially designated as a local historic district in late 2023. This will help to ensure the protection of the many important structures that create the unique character of the district. The Shops on Washington Street Project is also an existing program that should continue to support this district.

Many of the recommended actions included in the 2008 Washington Drive District Plan remain perfectly suited for implementation today. But time is of the essence. A lack of action by the city as part of this planning effort will further undermine the residents’ and business owners’ trust in local government. In actuality, designating the Washington Street district as a neighborhood center offers the city and the residents an opportunity to partner on this catalyst activity center project to realize a synergistic solution – the successful revitalization of this neighborhood center while also instilling confidence inside City Hall that they have the capacity to pivot from a reactive regulatory position to a proactive partner that can produce tangible results. The city has demonstrated similar prowess in and around the Truist Point social district’s revitalization efforts. This would be a similar effort, but at a reduced scale. It is notable that the Chamber’s THRIVE Program has demonstrated significant success over the past few years and could play a role in the revitalization of the Washington Street business district.