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Planner says Town Center focus should be homes - not retail
(by Andrea Cordle, Southwest Editor - February 02, 2010)
"The Town Center is never going to be a retail hot spot, but it could be a great urban neighborhood," said Frank Elmer, city planner with Lincoln Street Studios.
Elmer presented his vision of the Town Center revitalization plan at the Jan. 26 special Grove City Council meeting.
Elmer believes city leaders should focus on housing development in the downtown area. He said by building sidewalks and planting trees, developers would want to build. Then more business owners would come.
The city has been working on a Town Center revitalization plan for several years. It has seen many businesses come and go.
Elmer told city leaders the sales performances of existing business in the area "are distressing."
"They are showing signs of failure."
Lincoln Street Studios conducted a market analysis of the Town Center. They found retail space occupies 90,000 square feet downtown, which Elmer said is pretty small.
"That could all fit in a single Wal-Mart."
Elmer said if the city could turn the Town Center into an urban park, then it would attract development. This urban park would be small, with mixed-use housing and office space. It would have to be walkable, explained Elmer.
He believes the city should target those of retirement age.
"It should be a place for people to live, walk, shop and play," said Elmer.
He suggested building office space, with apartments or condos on the top floor. He said the city could try to lure a non-profit organization into the downtown, which would attract thousands of people and jobs. Elmer even suggested the city hire a Town Center redevelopment director.
City Administrator Phil Honsey said the city has already put forth millions for the revitalization of the Town Center. He said city leaders know there are problems, but he "sees the glass as half full."
"This community gets it," said Honsey.
The city has already funded measures to improve and expand Windsor Park. There will even be a connector road so visitors could get to the park off Broadway. The city has invested funds in bike paths that would eventually connect all through the city.
The city also plans to move forward with the Center of Learning. Leaders believe this would bring hundreds of jobs to the area, positions such as professors, teachers and support staff. The city expects the center to attract nearly 3,000 students.
The Center of Learning would act as a shared satellite campus for several colleges. So far, the city has received six letters of intent from schools like Ashland University, Columbus State, Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Otterbein College. It would offer associate degrees, bachelor degrees and graduate programs.
City leaders think the students and employees will hang out in the area and shop.
Elmer said that might not work and questioned the idea of the center in the Town Center.
"I just don't think it spins off business," said Elmer. "It would bring in jobs, but I would not rely on students for retail."
He added, "The Town Center will never be a destination for motorists to go shopping. Retail is not coming because too few live in the area."
In an effort to bring and keep businesses in the downtown, the city has expanded the community investment area, offered loans to business owners and is working on revising the zoning codes.
At the Feb. 1 regular council meeting, Grove City Mayor Richard "Ike" Stage explained he did not agree with everything Elmer said. Councilman Greg Grinch even said he took exception with some of the comments made by the city planner.
Council said they are open to ideas regarding the Town Center revitalization project.
"If the Town Center dies, the community will eventually die," said Elmer of why residents should care about the plan. "Developers will not come because they will think the government has failed."
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