Business View Civil and Municipal | May 2021

55 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MAY 2021 PARAGOULD , ARKANSAS Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the current Economic Development Corporation (EDC) office is housed in the historic old Greene County Courthouse. According to Mayor Josh Agee, “Since we own our utilities, we have plans to revitalize the space around the historic downtown power plant by adding a farmers’ market. We also have quite a few homes on the historic register down on Main Street. Take a stroll and you’ll soon realize history is very important here.” Paragould’s past has certainly shaped its future. While there haven’t been many mixed-use or residential buildings downtown previously, that’s quickly changing. Over the past year, downtown residential developments have more than doubled. “The revitalization of downtown started about 20 years ago,” says Agee. “It took a while to catch on, but in the last five years it’s really ramped up. You’re seeing this nationwide – the quality of life and downtown districts are important to retaining our workforce. We’ve put our money where our mouth is when it comes to our downtown.” Creating a vibrant city center has paid off. The demand for buildings outweighs availability. Paragould is blessed with half a dozen prime downtown investors; once a building is available, one of them will snap it up much to the dismay of the others. This demand highlights the commitment of Paragould to preserve their