An Era Gone By: Downtown Retail

[Timkin]

This is a nice article but with all due respect....depressing...


Can we get back what was mindlessly bulldozed in the name of " progress " ??  No. I don't think so.

[stjr]

Then, as the pictures demonstrate, most every building and every block had street level retail.  Now, if there is even a building left, it's likely glass enclosed offices, a solid wall, a parking garage grille, or a vacant building, and the worst, no building but a vacant or surface parking lot.

One of the quickest ways to jump start downtown is to require every new and/or remodeled structure, including non-high security government buildings, to incorporate street level retail for most of its street facing sides.  A continuous line of retail is far more sustainable than retail scattered by one or more blocks of no street level activity.  I might note that if every building featured retail, the greater supply might lower the rents for retail bringing more retail downtown.  This could begin a development spiral upward.

And, to eliminate vacant and surface lots downtown, unless a building is beyond securing, it should be required to stand unless a building permit is being simultaneously pulled for the construction of a replacement structure.

[Timkin]

Sometimes I cannot post without getting angry,,,as Im sure most everyone has seen... and I am not proud of that at all...

As far as I am concerned , WHATEVER is left in the downtown area that is historic should be allowed to remain for the sake of whatever is left of our Historic Fabric.... Nothing else should be replaced by a god-awful Courthouse or whatever..  I agree with the above post.. If something new is put up, Street level retail should be a must..  Modern replacement buildings should incorporate features that resemble those of days gone by... simply beautiful buildings that were razed and replaced with depressing concrete monsters..and even worse, slabs of concrete to park cars on.. Return many of the one way streets back.. get rid of the RIDICULOUS aggravating parking meters.  Bring Movie theaters , Ice cream parlors, Produce stands, Street vendors ( and not on the Main Street bridge) .   Turn Hemming Park back 60 years with a restoration to something that resembles what it was instead of ruining it as has been done... no telling how much money has been spent to "improve" it ... It is anything but....and it could be one of the most beautiful focal points if it were.

Bringing the Glory back to downtown is not impossible.... It was possible to destroy it and a damn good job was done doing so... Now the opposite needs to happen.... And it will take a lot more than one administration to do so...and a collective of community united to making it happen.