Queen Street named 'Great Street In The Making'

Construction along Queen Street on June 14. Photo by Junious Smith III

While Queen Street is getting a facelift, a state organization adorned it with a prestigious honor. 

The N.C. Chapter of the American Planning Association recently named Queen Street its “Great Street in the Making.” The qualifications for the award include a street being planned or developed, but has plenty of potential for greatness. Queen Street will be recognized at the annual APA conference in October and there will be marketing materials provided for the street, along with an award at a special presentation and a feature on the Great Places North Carolina and state chapter of the American Planning Association websites.

Currently, the city is working on its Queen Street Revitalization Project, which includes reverting the street layout, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and angled parking.

Kinston City Manager Tony Sears said the award is truly an honor.

“I want to thank (Kinston Planning Director) Adam Short for applying for the award, and what this really does is show the effort reinvested into the community,” Sears said. “I know people think we’re just focused on downtown, but the health of the area will help the overall health of Kinston. We’re limited with the resources we have and believe this project will be essential toward future success in the city.”

Short said the award also shows other entities in the state are focused toward the work Kinston is putting in with the Streetscape.

 “It’s a great honor for the project and good notoriety,” Short said. “It helps us further promote and showcases the importance of the project, also solidifying that we’re going in the right direction. This project has value and it’s not just coming from us — others are paying attention.”