Farmington DDA Honored for 'Perfect 10'

On Wednesday, was honored for scoring a perfect 10 out of 10 during its annual evaluation by the National Main Street Center in Washington, DC, as part of the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) program.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson honored Farmington and five other communities for their national accreditation in a ceremony at the newly opened at Woodward Avenue and Nine Mile Road in Ferndale.

Among artisan wares and fares, Patterson handed out awards to the various Downtown Development Authority directors and city officials. By holding the event at the Rust Belt, Ferndale was on display.

"The Rust Belt Market is the kind of business we need," Patterson said. "What (owners Chris and Tiffany Best) have here is a stroke of genius in (Ferndale's) vibrant center."

Patterson extended congratulations on filling the building that the Rust Belt now calls home. The space sat vacant for four years after Old Navy left. "I don't think you have any more vacancy left," Patterson said. "You're knocking it out of the park."

Of the 32 downtowns in Oakland County, 26 are Main Street Oakland County communities. Farmington joined the program in 2003. MSOC's goal is to maximize the economic potential of these downtowns and, as several people who accepted awards Wednesday said, provide a structure to succeed.

"The Main Street program is hard work," Farmington DDA Director Annette Knowles said. "But the involvement of the volunteers is so rewarding, I couldn't ask for anything else."

Mayor Tom Buck added, "Our whole city benefits from (the Main Street program). It has helped shape our downtown."

Patterson laid out numbers gathered since the inception of the program that, he said, prove it is a successful program.

-- by Terry Paris, Jr., Ferndale Patch Editor