Moore Highlights $900K Investment Driving Leonardtown Main Street Revival

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Gov. Wes Moore toured Leonardtown’s Main Street area on Monday, highlighting more than $900,000 in state investment supporting revitalization efforts along the town’s historic Main Street corridor.

The visit marked the final stop of Moore’s “Delivering for Maryland” tour launch in St. Mary’s County and focused on improvements funded through the state’s Main Street Maryland program, which designated Leonardtown as a participating community in 2023.

Since that designation, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has directed more than $911,000 through 13 grants to support facade improvements, small business development and preservation of historic properties in the downtown district.

During the walking tour, Moore visited several businesses that received grant funding, including storefronts that have undergone facade upgrades and redevelopment projects aimed at improving visibility and attracting foot traffic.

State Revitalization Programs Drive Investment, Growth In Leonardtown

Christine McPherson, assistant director of community and economic development partnerships with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, said the governor’s visit to Leonardtown highlighted the impact of state-supported revitalization programs, including Community Legacy, Maryland Facade Improvement Program grants and Project Restore, which have helped drive investment in Leonardtown’s Main Street district.

“The town is showing off local investments that have been made by the state through programs such as our Community Legacy program, the Maryland Facade Improvement Program and Project Restore,” McPherson said. “Main Street programs such as Leonardtown need incentives in their toolkit in order to spur revitalization.

”The Main Street Maryland program supports revitalization in historic downtowns across the state, helping communities strengthen local economies, improve storefronts and attract new business through targeted investment and community-driven planning.

McPherson said these programs provide critical incentives for small communities, allowing local leaders to spark broader economic activity. She said that even small grants can trigger additional private investment, creating a ripple effect that encourages neighboring property and business owners to improve their own spaces.

“These grants help spawn not only the investment happening because of the actual grant itself, but business owners and property owners around those investments tend to invest as well,” McPherson said. “Just in the last year, there’s been 14 facade improvements right here in the district.”

McPherson said Leonardtown’s recent momentum, including multiple state-supported improvements completed within the past year, was an example of how coordinated investment can transform a downtown corridor.

“Everyone wants a place to live that’s lovable,” McPherson said. “People are looking for the same thing when they come to experience a place.” 

McPherson said revitalization efforts also play a key role in tourism, helping create vibrant, experience-driven destinations that attract visitors and support local businesses. She emphasized that Leonardtown’s mix of retail, dining, arts and waterfront access contributed to its appeal as a regional destination.

“You can plan a day here and have plenty to do,” McPherson said. “I think that’s what’s really enticing about Leonardtown.”

Once Declining, Leonardtown Now Thriving On Main Street

Leonardtown Mayor Dan Burris said the state’s investment has played a key role in strengthening the town’s economic vitality and preserving its historic character. 

Burris said the governor’s visit highlighted decades of revitalization efforts in Leonardtown, noting that the downtown corridor has rebounded significantly since an economic decline following the construction of the Route 5 bypass in the 1990s, which redirected traffic away from downtown by routing state traffic about a half-mile outside the corridor.

“Back in the ’90s, we were shut down when the bypass went through,” Burris said. “I’ve got pictures of boarded-up buildings.”

Burris said facade improvement grants and state-supported investment have played a key role in bringing businesses back to Main Street, helping restore previously vacant storefronts and stimulate local economic activity.

“Getting people back in town and doing the facade improvements is real spectacular,” Burris said. “The businesses get a grant for half of what they do, and they have to invest into improvement projects also — it helps everyone.”

Burris also mentioned strong early-season tourism, with increased foot traffic from visitors across Maryland, signaling continued growth in Leonardtown’s appeal as a destination. Burris said activity is expected to expand further in the coming weeks as waterfront tourism picks up with warmer weather.

“We are busy, very busy every night now, and we’re getting people from all over the state down here,” Burris said. “Within the next month that will really ramp up, especially as the weather gets nice.”

Laschelle McKay said state support has played a critical role in Leonardtown’s long-term redevelopment, helping drive both infrastructure improvements and economic growth over the past two decades.

“The support of the State has been crucial to the redevelopment of the Town,” McKay said.

McKay said funding from the state has supported key projects across the town, including waterfront improvements and revitalization efforts in the downtown square, contributing to sustained business development and increased investment in the Main Street corridor.

“The Town could not have achieved the success we have over the last two decades without the tremendous state support,” McKay said.

McKay said 67 downtown business have taken advantage of grants for a variety of facade improvements. She said the impact of those improvement grants showed how state funding has been leveraged through matching grants to expand the scale of projects taken on by local businesses.

“The Town has received $450,000 in facade improvement grants over the last 7 years,” McKay said. “These are matching grants, and the state dollars yielded over $1 million in facade improvements throughout the downtown.”

McKay said the investments have helped strengthen Leonardtown’s economy and enhance its identity as a destination community.

“This has been a great boost to our economy and helped make Leonardtown A Most Exceptional Place,” McKay said.

Leonardtown’s Revitalization Drives Tourism, Community Growth

Over the past two decades, Leonardtown has transformed its downtown from a struggling corridor with vacant storefronts into a vibrant destination for residents and visitors. Local officials said sustained investment in infrastructure, historic preservation, small business development, the Main Street district, the arts district and Leonardtown Wharf were all key drivers of that turnaround.

Today, with state support, the revitalized Main Street features a mix of restaurants, retail shops, galleries and entertainment venues, contributing to increased foot traffic and regional tourism. Town leaders and state officials said the continued growth reflects a broader effort to position Leonardtown as both a year-round destination community and a desirable place to live.

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