By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
The Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) program, the only county-wide main street developmental program in the nation, awarded eleven downtown communities for their growth efforts.
Downtown development groups from Farmington, Ferndale, Holly, Pontiac and Rochester, Clawson, Franklin, Highland Township, Lake Orion, Ortonville and Oxford all received numerous awards and honors June 16 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre.
The awards recognize excellence in downtown revitalization in five categories: Special, MSOC Spirit, Organization, Promotion, Design and Business Improvement. Since 2001, MSOC downtowns have generated nearly $650 million in new public and private investment,
created 6,671 new jobs and established 870 new businesses.
‘Main Street Oakland County continues to be a model for other Main Street programs across the country,? County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. I applaud these communities and the individual winners for the contributions they make to create desirable and viable downtowns.?
The Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority was awarded with the Outstanding Public and Private Partnership for the creation of the Whiskey’s Public Parking lot which opened November 25, 2013.