Yes, Lydia, we need parking downtown Crookston. Everyone complains about the lack of parking. Yet the reverse is true on Robert Street! Many people do not know that they can park right across the street from Kay's Attic and behind the store! (My side is US Highway2 and one can't park there.) Out my door, and across the street I watch the parking fill up only when there are events at the Eagles. As for your parking idea: We could have a pretty nice tri level parking garage in the old Supervalue building and transport shoppers via a quaint horse and carriage service when we gain a critical mass of retail stores downtown again!
Here is the second part of my vision for Crookston: The simplest way to get more parking throughout downtown is to go back to two-way streets and park on the diagonal like it was in the 50's! Every fourth or so parking space can be reserved for those with special needs. I can't tell you how many tourists have told me they can't find their way around Crookston because of the one-ways! From a retail point of view, our storefronts are our cheapest and best advertising. Did you know that 4500 vehicles pass my store and see my sign per day? That's because I'm on a 2-way street. The retailers on Broadway and Main only get 1800 views per day and they only see one angle of the store window/building/signage. And at such a fast speed!
Let's encourage those semi tractor trailer trucks to use the two Crookston bypasses! It is so dangerous to allow them to make their wide turns and cut off traffic. Did you know big trucks have more vision restriction when turning to the right? They are also smelly and loud. And they don't stop and shop downtown. When standing outside my store, a conversation is stopped cold when a truck comes through and they do shortcut through downtown Crookston! Does anyone out there know why truckers prefer to go through downtown Crookston rather than around it?
What happens after the Wayne Hotel is knocked down as in, where do you focus next as to saving the next downtown building? I think you’d agree with Metro Plains that the Wayne Hotel would have been one of the most challenging projects due to the vertical height and the saturation of water damage, mold, rot and pigeon contamination. While one has to commend you on your commitment downtown it seems property owners of these historic buildings, lack the funds to properly maintain them. I’d suggest, as painful as it might be, that the city picks two city blocks between Main and Broadway and levels them. Why? To build a proper, traditional town square and around it build a new downtown replicated on the image of the old. Those old buildings facing the town square would have instant value. And in openings underdeveloped, the city could build town homes, senior housing, all with replicated, blended facades. This would be done with redevelopment grants, low interest loans, etc. What’s your view?
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for posting! First of all, has anyone heard from Metro Plains Development or JLG Architects directly on the next steps on the former Wayne/Palace Hotel? I am awaiting word. I wonder if they will choose to apply again to Minnesota Housing next June? We, Prairie Skyline Foundation, Inc., will be reapplying next June on the KT Apartments (named after the King of Trails and Kari Thompson) The KT Apartments are the apartments above Kay’s Attic o Robert Street, the former Quist Trading Post or Union Building as it once was called. It is perhaps the second largest building next to the Palace Hotel. Hopefully, there will be more capital commitment up front: We want to see the Crookston National Bank will agree to sponsor a Federal Home Loan Bank grant application (they have turned us down three years in a row due to lack of staff to monitor the project,) or Polk County will commit the cost of demolition towards the project (turned us down last year) and that the City may provide more options than they have.
ReplyDeleteActually the Palace Hotel may be the most challenging project Metro Plains Development has looked at doing, but the architect for the project, JLG Architects of Grand Forks ND transformed the “Taralseth” building in downtown Warren and it was in much worse condition: It had no roof at all. Let’s wait and see, after all, a year passes too quickly these days!
I love the Town Square idea! However as a preservationist, I don’t think Crookston ever had a town square like the cities on the East Coast, correct me if I’m wrong here. Traditionally, the area between the Post Office and Bremer Bank has been the “Center” of Downtown.
I’ve seen some well done reproductions in East Grand Forks Center Mall, etc, but they had to do that having previously torn down all their beautiful historic buildings in the name of "Urban Renewal." I’d like to see buildings stay as they are to protect our memories. Additionally, it makes no sense to me to tear down structurally sound buildings. The former “Professional Building,” aka the former “Villa St. Vincent Nursing home,” is another structurally sound building slated for expensive demolition by Polk County. What wonderful apartments could be made in this unique building filled with leaded glass windows and skylights and original unpainted woodwork.
Yes, downtown property owners face higher maintenance costs than somebody owning real estate properties elsewhere in town. One of the biggest reasons is the large flat roofs that are expensive to replace and often times the wrong kind of roofing is installed, causing constant replacement. When the roof has damage, rainwater gets in and causes all kinds of havoc like what happened at the old “Z-Place,” or former “Ruetell’s Clothing” as I like to call it. Another problem is the cash flow on small buildings just isn’t enough to accomplish much serious repair especially so when one unit goes vacant. Personally, I feel that if the City made possible a low-interest maintenance loan available to downtown property owners, this one step would go a long way to helping downtown grow again. The City’s focus has been on single-family housing and not townhomes or senior housing. I want to see that develop into a focus on multi-family housing downtown Crookston as soon as possible. Downtown is in dire shape with businesses barely hanging on. Bring people downtown again, and stores will come to answer their needs.