Municipal Service District Statistics Report, North Carolina Main Street, FY 2023-24
Facade Improvements Completed: 6
Building Rehabilitations Completed: 8
Public Improvements Completed: 2
New Construction: 0
Jobs Created: Approximately 58
Full-time Jobs Lost: Approximately 11
Full-time change 47
Part-time Jobs Created: Approximately 56
Part-time Jobst Lost: Approximately 8
Part-time change Approximately 48
Businesses Opened: 32
Businesses Closed: 6
Net Change: 26
Expanded Businesses: 2
Public Investment: $84,200
Private Investment: $2,009,000+
Total Investment: $2,093,200+
Volunteer Hours: 1777.5+
Value of hours: $53,076+
Housing Units: 73
Commercial Spaces: 230
Vacant Spaces: 30
Total Square Feet of Commercial Space: +/-1,480,300
Annual Rental Rate/sf: annualized average $5, (Jess Edwards, Kinston Realty Group)
In 2020, downtown Kinston began to see a positive shift of new businesses opening as opposed to closing. This upward trajectory has continued with an increase each year. We also saw a shift in building sales with over 40 buildings selling in 6.5 years with most currently in various stages of redevelopment.
Demand for retail/commercial space continues as well as for downtown residential; a shortage continues to exist for the moment.
In 2017 there were no actual bakeries downtown. Now we have 3.
A social District was established in July 2024.
Christmas now includes 2 popular events; Turn on the Lights and Tinsel Trail the Saturday before Thanksgiving and the Christmas Parade the First Saturday of December. Since 2018, the parade has been live-streamed on Neuse News social media, attendance has grown to 8,000 with over 100 registrations for 1,500+ participants. It is now the largest and most popular Christmas parade in Lenoir County if not Eastern North Carolina. The 6-weeks of displays in Pearson Park brings 5,000 people downtown.
These transformations can be attributed to DK and Visit Kinston marketing downtown, Kinston and Lenoir County as well as the ease of doing business with the City of Kinston.