Launchgarner celebrates the next generation of garner entrepreneurs

Aug 31, 2026 | Business, Development, Uncategorized

LaunchGARNER Celebrates the Next Generation of Garner Entrepreneurs

The Downtown Garner Association and our community partners recently celebrated the LaunchGARNER Class of 2026, recognizing a group of local entrepreneurs who dedicated their time, energy, and creativity to growing their businesses and preparing for what comes next.

LaunchGARNER is a business development program designed to help local entrepreneurs turn ideas into action and strengthen the businesses that are already calling Garner home. Through classroom instruction, mentorship, networking, and hands-on learning, participants gain practical tools and connections to help them navigate the challenges of starting and growing a business.

But LaunchGARNER is about more than business education. It’s about building a community that believes in local entrepreneurs.

The program is made possible through a collaborative effort between:

Town of Garner
Wake Tech Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center
Downtown Garner Association
Garner Economic Development Corporation
Garner Rotary
Garner Mid-Day Rotary
Garner Chamber of Commerce
Choose Local and Small Y’all

Each partner brings valuable resources, knowledge, connections, and encouragement to the program; creating a network of support that helps local entrepreneurs move their businesses forward.

And, of course, the heart of LaunchGARNER is its participants. This year’s graduates have spent months learning, asking questions, making connections, refining their ideas, and investing in themselves and their businesses.

We couldn’t be prouder of the LaunchGARNER Class of 2026! 🎓

Their success is a reminder that when entrepreneurs have the right resources and a community behind them, great things can happen right here in Garner.

Ready to Launch?

Are you a Garner entrepreneur with a business idea—or a business that’s ready to grow?

LaunchGARNER could be your next step. Our next cohort starts in January 2027 and we are currently accepting applications.

👉 Learn more about LaunchGARNER and APPLY HERE.

Because big businesses often start with a big idea—and sometimes, all it takes is the right community to help you Launch. 🚀

Downtown Garner Association Earns National Main Street America Accreditation for 2026

Jun 18, 2026 | Business, Development, Events, Main Street, Public Art, Uncategorized

The Downtown Garner Association (DGA) is proud to announce that Downtown Garner has achieved Main Street America™ Accreditation for 2026 based on our 2025 performance, the highest level of recognition awarded to Main Street programs nationwide.

The designation was announced by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and Main Street America, recognizing communities that demonstrate exceptional success in downtown revitalization, economic development, historic preservation, and community engagement. This year, only 49 North Carolina communities earned the prestigious accreditation.

Main Street America Accreditation is awarded to programs that meet rigorous performance standards and demonstrate excellence in six key areas: broad-based community commitment, inclusive leadership, sustainable funding, strategic programming, preservation-based economic development, and measurable results.

“This recognition reflects the dedication of our board members, volunteers, business owners, community partners, sponsors, and residents who work together to make Downtown Garner a vibrant place to live, work, shop, and gather,” said April Wood, Director, Downtown Garner Association.

As a Main Street America Accredited program and a North Carolina Main Street Community, DGA uses the nationally recognized Main Street Approach™, a preservation-based economic development strategy focused on strengthening downtown districts through the four pillars of Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization.

Over the past year, Downtown Garner has continued to build momentum through business support programs, community events, volunteer engagement, beautification efforts, and strategic partnerships. Through initiatives such as the Downtown Garner Business Incentive Grant Program, Downtown Bucks, Food Truck Rodeos, Groovin’ in Garner concerts, and other community events, DGA remains committed to creating a thriving downtown that serves residents, visitors, and local businesses alike.

The accreditation recognizes not only the progress made over the past year but also the long-term vision for Downtown Garner’s future. As Garner continues to grow, DGA remains focused on preserving the character and charm of the historic downtown district while fostering new opportunities for economic growth and community connection.

The Downtown Garner Association extends its gratitude to the Town of Garner, local businesses, volunteers, sponsors, residents, and community partners whose support makes this achievement possible.

Together, we are building a vibrant and welcoming Downtown Garner for generations to come.

Official Press Release from the NC Department of Commerce.

Launchgarner

Jan 1, 2026 | Business, Development, Uncategorized

Give back this year by investing in the next generation of local entrepreneurs

LaunchGARNER supports and develops entrepreneurs and small businessess in under-resourced communities in Garner and Southeast Raleigh, by providing access to business loans, business development services, and networking opportunities. All of this is provided for FREE to our LaunchGARNER students because of our partners and sponsors!

We NEED YOUR HELP! Do you have 8-10 hours total over the course of 5 months that you would like to invest in others? LaunchGARNER is looking for mentors and sponsors to help guide small business owners as they grow their ideas into successful ventures. Your time, expertise or support can make a lasting impact on our local economy and community. Start 2026 by helping a Garner business launch and thrive.

Visit LaunchGARNER for more information.

LMG Previews Development Concepts for Downtown Site

Sep 1, 2021 | Development

Lansing Melbourne Group (LMG), the private developer selected by Town of Garner to develop the site next to the Garner Rec Center, presented their initial design concepts to the community and town council in August. Over 40 Garner residents attended the August 12th community meeting where LMG presented their intitial concepts for discussion and feedback; much of that feedback was incorporated into their presentation to town council.

Preliminary design concepts show a three story mixed use development facing Main Street, with 5,450 square feet of commercial space on the ground level, 60 upper story residential apartments, and 120-140 parking spaces. The development will add a tabletop parking deck, accessible from Main Street, and expand the existing parking lot underneath the deck to accomodate shared use between the storefronts, residents, and users of the Rec Center.

The ground level commercial space will be divided into two units. Several community members advocated for LMG and the town to recruit a locally owned restaurant and/or retail to fill the space. LMG will use that feedback to outfit the unit(s) for restaurant uses, while working with the town and community to identify potential food vendors for the space.

The 60 residential apartments will be a mixture of studios, 1 and 2 bedroom units, priced to be affordable for Garner’s workforce. LMG specializes in slightly smaller units at affordable price points that utilize nearby amenities, like the Garner Rec Center. These units will be highly desirable to young people entering the workforce, couples, and retirees who all want to live in a denser, walkable community.

Public art will be a significant component of the development. LMG shows several large scale placeholders for temporary mural installations, as well as permanent installations that could use punched metal work to screen the lower parking while still allowing ventilation. LMG will continue refining the content of their public art strategy with input from the community over the next year.

LMG hopes to break ground on this project by mid 2022. The time to total buildout is estimated to be 16-18 months.

LMG Development Concepts Presentation

Watch LMG Present to Town Council

Town Selects Developer for Downtown Site

May 4, 2021 | Development, Properties

At their May 3, 2021 meeting, the Garner Town Council voted unanimously to endorse the town staff’s recommendation to move forward with Lansing Melbourne Group (LMG) as developer for the Downtown Opportunity Site. This decision is the culmination of an almost two year process of working with the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative (DFI) to complete pre-development analysis and solicit developer interest for the site, located between the historic business district and the new Recreation Center.

DFI consultant Matt Crook gave a brief overview of the process leading up to developer selection and Downtown Development Manager Mari Howe presented the staff recommendation to work with LMG. Howe told the council that LMG received very high praise from other communities that they worked in, where their original projects often expanded to include additional phases.

In her presentation, Howe shared several key factors that led to staff choosing LMG, including:

– their experience with public private partnerships,

– their background with parking development,

– their community oriented development process,

– their “club-level” financing model,

– their interest in future phases of development, and

– their local approach to retail recruitment.

Council members Demian Dellinger and Gra Singleton participated in interviews with the final two development candidates. Dellinger agreed that LMG would be a good fit for Garner’s culture and needs in Downtown Garner. Singleton said that he felt confident that LMG would work hard to make sure they could deliver what the community wanted, even if that meant changing some elements of their original proposal.

Town council authorized staff to start working with DFI and LMG on negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding for the project, a process which will take about 90 days.

Watch the full presentation to Town Council

May 3 Council Meeting

Town seeking proposals for Downtown Opportunity Site

Nov 10, 2020 | Development, Properties

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Cw2JQHaYg&feature=youtu.be

The Town of Garner, North Carolina is now accepting Development Partner Proposals for the development of property on W Main Street that has come to be known as the “Downtown Opportunity Site”. The Town seeks a qualified development partner(s) to develop the Town-owned site into a mixed-use development of up to four stories that can include a mix of retail, residential, and/or office uses. Responses to the solicitation are due no later than February 26, 2021.

The Development Finance Initiative, a program of the UNC School of Government, has been hired by the town to work with interested development teams to present development concepts for review and consideration by the Town. DFI will help development teams understand and respond to the Town’s requirements for the development of the site. This process will culminate in the selection of a development partner or partners and the negotiation of one or more development service agreements for public-private partnerships.

Prior to releasing this solicitation, DFI and the Town spent over 12 months completing significant pre-development on the site to ensure the project is supported by the community, endorsed by the Town Council, and is financially feasible for development partners. The site is a roughly 0.3-acre development pad next to the newly constructed Garner Recreation Center and is located in the heart of downtown commercial activity within walking distance of multiple parks and recreational areas.

Low vacancy and limited supply of retail and Class A office space, coupled with steady growth in population and income, suggests an opportunity for a profitable mixed-use development. The site is also located within a qualified federal Opportunity Zone. The Opportunity Zone (OZ) program, created as a part of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, aims to encourage private investment in low income communities.

The full Solicitation for Development Proposals is available from DFI, or by accessing the link below. Please contact Matt Crook at crook@sog.unc.edu or Rory Dowling at dowling@sog.unc.edu for additional details.

View the full Solicitation for Proposals

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