Hi Steve, Thanks for posting! I’m glad to hear that you’d like to see the same thing, i.e. the downtown preserved, greatly valued for its character and seeing new development from private entrepreneurs as well as I do.
As usual with any vision, there are obstacles and problems to work out. The major obstacle with the town square green space idea is that the City will have a tough time getting approval from the State Historical Preservation Office for such extensive demolition of historic structures many of which were restored with public funds for green space when we do have many beautiful parks, especially the underutilized Central Park. Note we have a park on the corner of the busiest intersection in town, Main & Robert, and no one sits there and watches trucks and cars go by.
My vision involves “clustering” downtown businesses in the two blocks between Loring and Second Street, making the distances shorter to walk, not farther. I’d love to see walking encouraged, but to do so ironically will involve shorter distances not longer ones. (Its no secret we as a nation have gotten lazy) Many people have mentioned on the Crookston Times Guestbook and elsewhere over the years of the need for a central location for the proposed community center. (You know the one that never gets onto the drawing board??) My guess is we will want a roof over our heads for the community center, not simply green space. Since the City and School District chose to destroy not only Central High School but the Junior High School gymnasium as well, our chance for a sizeable central community center may well be gone. If we can concentrate the businesses and eaterys we will have at least a business center. Any vision we choose to follow will involve sacrifice no doubt about it, but we have lost so much already. Watch for my upcoming slide show on the blog.
The City through the Crookston Economic and Development Authority, (CHEDA) is interested in downtown. I believe they are working on a new housing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for downtown that could encourage private development. It just hasn’t been in the news as much as our new 3 or 4 rink hockey arena which in my opinion is moving way too fast for the money involved.
Reading between the lines on the former Wayne Hotel project, the building won’t be torn down until the next Minnesota Housing grant round is completed the end of October and we hear if the project has this piece of funding in place. It isn’t over yet! The people of Crookston need to influence the City not the other way around. We will have to come up with our own vision and include a strong “How to do it” section, in which major obstacles have been researched. Through people like you and others that are doing some serious critical thinking about downtown Crookston, we can move forward.
Trends just aren't on the side of people wanting to shop in a confined, tight restrictive space. Bemdiji has diagonal parking and mostly one can park directly in front of the shop of their choice. Their downtown has a open, airey feel to it since the old downtown buildings don't have the verticle height to them, as in Crookston. Unfortnately, in respect to my personal view, I've seen too many old downtown areas which have been totally deserted. St Joseph Mo is but one example. Downtown Crookston is at a critical crossroads right now. In these months ahead, and the year ahead, if more vacant buildings emerge, none of your current city council members will support investing future monies there. This is especially true if the Wayne Hotel project doesn't go forward. You, I believe, are putting together a grant for something to do with low income apartments? You are on the right track, if no city money is forthcoming for real image improvements. Low income housing will be downtown's only real future.
ReplyDeleteOh, the three-rink arena is a 100%, non-stop, go! It's a done deal. However if they don't pave the parking lot immediately, then they will seek future monies for that. In times where Obama is describing a depression fast closing in, health and human services, on city, county and state levels, will be demanded. End result, not much money for anything downtown. Very sad. Sad indeed.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad, and I try everyday work to stay up and on the positive side, which of course makes people think I’m idealistic, when in fact I’m very practical and efficient. My vision of routing Highway 2 around Crookston and returning to two-way traffic and diagonal parking is based on what Bemidji did years ago. Look how they’ve grown! We may not have a lake, but we have a river and a four year college! I love Bemidji, and if I remember right, there are a substantial numbers of historic buildings downtown that have been saved. Crookston has only three downtown buildings with three floors, and the Wayne Hotel has a small fourth floor. There is already a lot of open space. With some cars parked at the old SUPERVALU store, horse & buggy rides leaving from there, and diagonal parking, the streets will be open and inviting again. In fact, the carriage stops can be at these scattered empty lots where buildings have been torn down.
ReplyDeleteClustering is a concept that even some retailers don’t understand. We want more of the same kind of store either next door or very close by because shoppers are encouraged to not only come to shop, but to shop all those stores in a row. This is “good” competition because it increases traffic, thus the vision of Crookston being a downtown filled with antique, collectible, thrift and consignment stores.
I agree Crookston is at a critical crossroads right now and I thank you for calling attention to it. The KT Apartment project in the Union Building is too small a project for Metro Plains Development, and too big a project for the average person. By going the non-profit route, KT Apartments can solve a lot of problems in one big push. These problems are:
1. We need people downtown, to grow the downtown,
2. We need to free up space at Care & Share by placing the long-term homeless (those that keep returning to the Shelter or aspire to live there) in permanent supportive housing.
3. We need to house people who work at McDonalds, the nursing homes, etc in safe, decent affordable housing.
4. We need to house single heads of households in safe, decent affordable housing.
5. We need to save another building from the pigeons.
Thanks for the commendation and thoughts on Crookston.