Historic Warren Armory
REGISTER TODAY FOR EARLY BIRD RATES!
*NOTE: the cost of your registration includes lunch catered by Hope & Main in Warren. We want this conference to be accessible to everyone. If the ticket price is out of reach for you, please contact us directly — we’re happy to work with you to find a solution.
Keynote Presentation: SARAH O’BRIEN “The Fifth Point of Main Street”
We All Need Each Other — Building Trust, Navigating Turf & Getting People to Believe in the Possibility of Place
Main Street has four points: Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Vitality. But after more than 20 years in downtown revitalization…as a Main Street manager, community leader, consultant, strategist and occasional political survivor…Sarah “Main Street” O’Brien has learned there’s a fifth point that makes all the others possible: People.
Downtown revitalization is rarely difficult because we don’t know what to do. The harder part is getting people with different personalities, priorities, histories, egos and agendas to believe they can do it together.
In this candid, high-energy keynote, Sarah will pull back the curtain on the messy, funny, frustrating and deeply rewarding human side of Main Street. Drawing from real-life stories from over two decades of work in Texas and Pennsylvania, including launching organizations, navigating City Hall, working with volunteers and elected officials, managing leadership transitions, untangling turf wars, and helping communities find common ground, she’ll explore what it really takes to build trust and move a community forward.
Because there is no magic bullet. No single big project. No perfect organizational structure. There are just people.
And as Grandpa O’Brien signed every letter he every wrote her…..We All Need Each Other.
Sarah O’Brien joined the York County Economic Alliance in York, PA as Director of Downtown Inc in April 2024.
Sarah boasts over 20 years of experience in downtown revitalization and Main Street organizational leadership. Throughout her career, she has worked for City governments, Main Street organizations, travel and tourism non-profits and has served various leadership capacities across Texas, including having served as a two-time past President of Texas Downtown. Sarah believes community engagement is the singular purpose that connects each role and can inspire transformational change.
Sarah moved to the City of York in December 2023 with her two chihuahuas Boomer & Betsy. A native Texan, Sarah has roots in York County, where her ancestors roamed the streets of Downtown York almost two hundred years ago.
AGENDA
8:30am Registration Opens; Coffee & Pastries
9:00am Welcome and Introduction to the day
2026 RI Main Street Learning Cohort Graduation!
KEYNOTE: SARAH O’BRIEN — “The Fifth Point of Main Street”
We All Need Each Other — Building Trust, Navigating Turf & Getting People to Believe in the Possibility of Place
11:00 am Breakout Session
1:30 pm Breakout Session
A Walkability Lightning Round: Considering the 4 elements of a “Walkable City”
By definition, a successful Main Street district needs to be “walkable.” To be successfully walkable, the urbanist Jeff Speck (author of “Walkable City”) describes how walking needs to be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. Hear about different projects around RI that are improving the pedestrian experience and encouraging walking.
SPEAKERS:
AARP-RI
Caroline Stevens
Dylan Giles
At Home on Main Street: Building Support for Housing in and around Commercial Districts
Main Street districts are sensible and attractive locations for creating more of the housing that Rhode Island needs. Warren’s Health Equity Zone has made housing one of its priority issues, and Neighbors Welcome RI is leading statewide advocacy for more homes. Learn about what’s happening at the state and local levels, how you can get involved, and how Main Streets – both old and new – can be part of the solution!
SPEAKERS:
Kristin Read, Warren HEZ Director, East Bay Community Action
Kris Brown, Executive Director, Neighbors Welcome! Rhode Island
Redevelopment Districts, Redevelopment Agencies, and their role in Main Street Revitalization
One way local governments can encourage investment in specific areas is through the creation of a redevelopment district. In this session, you’ll learn how they can encourage economic activity from local experts who’ve successfully created and used them in Rhode Island.
SPEAKERS:
Bianca Policastro, Planning Director, Town of Warren
Peter Friedrichs, Esq., AICP, Land Use Attorney and Co-founder, Libra Planners
Jeanne Boyle, Planning Consultant
WALKING TOUR: Discover Downtown Warren with Discover Warren
Meet in front of the Warren Public Library at 1:30 PM
Warren is home to so many interesting, independent businesses! Get an inside and up close look at some of the businesses from Main Street to Water Street, and learn how Discover Warren promotes their district through its events, website, maps, and other activities.
GUIDE: Keri Cronin, Discover Warren
AFTER PARTY
Everyone’s welcome to join us at the Main Street RI Conference After Party! Come deepen your connections with Main Street neighbors — old friends and new faces alike.
Porta Via
4-6PM
495 Main St, Warren, RI 02885
Appetizers on us, drinks are on you.
Congratulations to our Inaugural Rhode Island Main Street Learning Cohort!
We can’t wait to celebrate the members of our inaugural Rhode Island Main Street Learning Cohort at the conference! They have successfully completed the first level of the program, concluding with each group developing a transformation strategy tailored to their own local main street — turning what they learned into real, actionable plans for their communities. We’re proud of the work this cohort has put in and are excited to continue to work with them to see these strategies take shape.
LEARN MORE
Are You Ready to Take Action on Behalf of Your Commercial District?
If so, participate in our next Main Street Learning Cohort! The conference will conclude with a call for applications for the 2027 Rhode Island Main Street Learning Cohort. In partnership with professionals from Main Street America, we’re excited to offer a monthly series of workshops for our Learning Cohort participants that will discuss actual processes for implementing the proven Four Point approach to main street revitalization and explore different transformation strategies.
Main Street RI is honored to co-host our second annual Main Street Conference with the Town of Warren, RI.
Special Thanks to Our Early Sponsors
