Should we have a smaller downtown?
Recent news of Greyhound leaving the downtown to relocate in Gasoline Alley brought force the questions about how big and cumbersome is our downtown, really. There were recent discussions about expanding the downtown to include such areas like the Riverlands. The Downtown Business Association was looking for increased funding by increasing the levy of downtown businesses.
So how big is our downtown? Greyhound was on 43 Street, is that downtown? Ross Street is 50 Street. If Greyhound is, then our downtown is bigger than many whole towns. Perhaps we should decrease the size of downtown, to one of a more manageable size? A niche downtown with special features, not a sprawling collection of businesses, vacant buildings, parking lots, bars and city hall.
Greyhound left the downtown for other reasons, for example saving 25 minutes of travel time and fuel. Understandable, but given that other businesses like accounting are moving away from downtown to gasoline alley, then it may be time for some action. Perhaps with a smaller niche downtown, we might get a better handle on the issues of used syringes, human waste, the drug trade, the sex trade, criminal activities, runaways, and homelessness to name but a few.
We haven’t attracted any major chain downtown since the Superstore, no major hotels are looking downtown to build. The only major projects downtown will be municipal projects. When was the last time a politician lived downtown? Politicians may own property downtown, but will they live downtown? I doubt it.
All I know is that it appears that the downtown, needs a change in direction, or else it will become such a big liability to the city, that the taxpayers will say; “Enough is Enough”.
Perhaps bigger is not better, and a smaller downtown could be worth looking at. Why not?