Haymarket businesses and property owners, along with community leaders formed LHDC in 1985 as a non-profit organization. LHDC was primarily formed in order to apply for participation in the National Main Street Program which is a revitalization program administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Haymarket was selected as one of nine sites in the nation that year as a district qualifying as a Main Street Program site. This led the District and LHDC to the development of a broad-based revitalization plan, done under the direction of the National Main Street Center. LHDC also formulated a plan to financially implement the program over a long period of time.

LHDC immediately established what their mission would be and determine what goals and objectives should be to take us through to continue a long-term revitalization process.

Mission Statement, Goals and Objectives

LHDC built its mission statement and original goals around the Main Street Approach, which is a preservation of the built environment and of the human resources of the downtown or neighborhood business district. The mission statement remains unchanged today and the goals and objectives reflect much of the original LHDC goals referred to as DOPER (Design, Organization, Promotion, Economic Restructuring).