Downtown Revitalization Project

The downtown revitalization project is a multi-phase, multi-year project intended to improve the safety of pedestrians and drivers traveling through downtown as well as improve the appearance of the core of our community to promote economic and community development.

The Town of Carthage has received considerable grant funding from the Department of Commerce's Rural Transformation Grant fund to assist in bringing these much-needed improvement to our community. Additional funding, whether from grants or Town of Carthage directly, will be needed as we work to build a vibrant, safe and attractive downtown.

Understanding Downtown

Some of the grant funding received was designated for developing shovel-ready plans to help direct projects and design. Two plans were developed with this goal in mind. The first was a Downtown Carthage Parking and Mobility Study to help our community understand the many ways in which pedestrians and drivers alike move through and around downtown. This study brings a much-needed understanding of our parking inventory, existing conditions and recommendations to improve on what we already have or build what we need.

Creating a Vision

The second plan focuses on designing a downtown that is attractive and functional. With NC Hwy. 24-27, considered a super load road, runs through the middle of downtown and pedestrians often feel unsafe crossing the road or utilizing downtown except when they have to. With so much new investment downtown with the opening of new businesses and County government facilities, it is important to ensure that visitors are able to safely move around the area while shopping, dining and utilizing other services. To do this, Carthage staff coordinated with Koontz Jones Design to help develop a Master Plan that encompasses these important goals.

During the plan development process, Carthage staff and its consultants held multiple drop-in style meetings where attendants were asked to participate in a variety of interactive exercises to help bring understanding to how downtown is used currently and how we want to use downtown into the future. An online survey was also deployed to catch input from those who were unable to attend the meetings in-person. With over 300 combined responses, both online and during the meetings, our consultants were able to develop plans that are highly reflective of what our community sees and wants in their downtown. 

With such a large-scale project, it is important to remember that there will be many meetings and conversations that occur over time regarding Downtown Revitalization. We want the community to stay engaged with us through the entire process and will be sure to publish any meeting dates, surveys and updates to this page. Be sure to check back often or subscribe to this page for emailed updates.