Appalachian Downtown Developers Initiative
Rooted Developers, Revived Downtowns:
A Blueprint for Central Appalachia
Guided by a coalition of regional leaders, ADDI is designed as a coordinated, ecosystem-based approach that supports community-centered downtown revitalization and long-term economic growth.
What’s inside?
The public implementation plan below includes:
An overview of ADDI’s background and the planning process
Actionable strategies designed by Appalachian stakeholders
A step-by-step roadmap for moving from idea to implementation
This implementation plan is just a starting point. The real work will happen in local communities and small towns across the region. Dig in to understand what’s needed to support transformative downtown development in Central Appalachia.
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ADDI Leadership:
Led by Invest Appalachia and the WV Community Development Hub (The Hub), this regional project was supported by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) through the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) program.
Across Central Appalachia, communities are coming together to reimagine the role of downtowns—not just as economic centers, but as the beating hearts of local identity, connection, and resilience.
At Invest Appalachia and the West Virginia Community Development Hub, we’ve seen firsthand how place-based strategies can spark transformation. The Appalachian Downtown Developers Initiative (ADDI) emerged from this shared belief: that thriving downtowns are essential to building equitable and enduring regional prosperity.
Real estate links critical issues and challenges of downtown development, including: ownership and control, access and belonging, wealth-building and entrepreneurship, resilience and longevity, and culture and local identity. As we pursue downtown revitalization strategies through real estate development, key questions must be grappled with, including: Who owns downtown real estate and redevelopment projects? Who develops it? What is its purpose? Who does it benefit?
The key to unlocking the opportunity in Appalachia’s downtowns is in the developers themselves—the entities (organizations, businesses, agencies) that can actually do the real estate projects in a way that advances community interests and that become the permanent capacity for place-based development when they achieve success.
The region is ready to build a comprehensive initiative that weaves together multiple strategies into a new integrated approach to downtown development that is created by and for Appalachians.
This ADDI book shares what we've learned and where we’re headed. It reflects a growing movement grounded in collaboration, fueled by local vision, and committed to creating lasting opportunity through community-rooted downtown development.
Andrew Crosson, CEO of Invest Appalachia
Stephanie Tyree, Executive Director of West Virginia Community Development Hub
ADDI Leadership Council:
Beka Burton – Economic Development Specialist, Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky
Dave Clark – Executive Director, Woodlands Development and Lending
Andrew Crosson – CEO, Invest Appalachia
Kim Davis – Executive Director, Friends of Southwest Virginia
Mae Humiston – Director of Grants and Operations, Invest Appalachia
Nicole Intagliata – Vice President of Programs, Fahe
Christine Laucher – Strategic Partnership Manager, Mountain BizWorks
Ray Moeller – Economic Redevelopment Specialist, Northern Brownfields Assistance Center at West Virginia University
Bryan Phillips – Project Manager Consultant, West Virginia Community Development
Billie Rogers – Project Manager Consultant, Friends of Southwest Virginia
Caroline Stahlschmidt – Senior Project Manager, Destination by Design
Stephanie Tyree – Executive Director, WV Community Development Hub
Hannah Vargason – Senior Project Manager, Center for Impact Finance, UNH Carsey School of Public Policy
Paul Wright – Business Coach, Wright Venture Services
Related Work:
The Downtown Revitalization Playbook: A free online resource to educate Funders, Investors, and Practitioners.
If you care about developing a rural downtown and wonder how to pay for it, then the Downtown Playbook is for you. It provides examples, tools, and inspiration to help both investors and communities alike create a pipeline of investments in Appalachian downtown districts, which can ultimately lead to transformative and positive returns on investment for everyone involved.
The playbook focuses on the inner workings of investment and is divided into four modules: Case Studies, Readiness Factors, Helping Groups Organize for Investment, and Investment Strategies.
It includes a free assessment of community readiness. https://www.downtownplaybook.org/
