Revitalization of Leesburg’s Pine Street
Children running to a nearby ice-cream truck gave the only sign of activity Friday afternoon along a stretch of boarded-up businesses near dilapidated structures and vacant buildings in the 300 block of Pine Street.
Hoping to rejuvenate what’s left of the once flourishing black commercial section in the city, a community development group recently acquired a 3.4-acre vacant lot on the historic section of Pine Street.
The Leesburg Community Development Corporation, which was awarded more than $500,000 as part of a lawsuit filed more than a decade ago accusing of the city of neglecting the predominantly black area, hopes to bring back businesses and housing.