Main Street® Oakland County Associate Level

Main Street® Oakland County (MSOC) Associate Level is designed to educate local communities about the service offerings and benefits of the Main Street® Program. Associate level communities establish a relationship with an existing Main Street® community, receive a select set of services, and are exposed to the national Main Street® philosophy.

Acceptance into the MSOC Associate Level requires only a letter of request from the chief elected official, DDA chair or city/village manager. Up to two communities can be brought into the program each year beginning in October.

Communities can participate in the MSOC Associate Level for up to two years. At that time associate communities can apply for the Main Street® Oakland County Program.

Program Offerings

Associate communities are eligible to receive the following technical services and training annually:

Access to current MSOC communities as an associate, through the direction of MSOC
Upon invitation, 1 field visit of the downtown from a program executive director and/or
volunteer(s) from 1 or more MSOC “associate” community(ies)
Upon invitation, 2 field visits to one or more MSOC downtowns
 1 registration scholarship to the National Main Street Conference
 Manager Orientation Training
 Main Street 101 Training in all Four Points
 Topical training workshops as scheduled

As schedules permit (please contact us in advance to schedule)

 1 presentation by Oakland County staff to local DDA Board, Council, HDC and Planning Commission
 1 consultation by Oakland County staff with local staff and officials
 Arrangement and facilitation by community and county staff of 1 community “town meeting” each
year (a public meeting designed to engage the larger community)
 Periodic evaluation of overall progress toward establishing a comprehensive, community involved downtown management strategy based upon the National Main Street Four Point Approach®

Since 2010 MSOC downtowns have generated over $560 million in private and public investment; 5,122 new jobs and 551 new businesses.

MSOC currently has 12 fully designated communities (in order of designation): Rochester, Walled Lake, Ferndale, Farmington, Pontiac, Lake Orion, Holly, Highland, Ortonville, Oxford, Franklin and Clawson.