(Op-ed by Peter Children)
I remember this city as it looked many years ago. I graduated from high school in 1952 some 59 years ago and was in the downtown area just about everyday. During those years, like anyone my age I never really gave the downtown a second look, it was what it was, and as you went from town to town, they all looked related.
But now it is different, when I enter the downtown core by car I drive as slow as possible so I can absorb visibly as much as I can…truthfully I am stunned. I have never seen this city I live in look as beautiful as it does now. That strip of Federal Avenue known as the street scape has added an ambience to it all that is unbelievable. If only those who own properties facing it will try their best to conform to what has been perpetrated, this city will be a must see destination and the downtown will once again see it’s sidewalks filled with shoppers.
This has certainly raised the values on downtown property; this area of the city will be a hot spot to visit and will draw more development. What needs to be done at this juncture is to pass laws requiring conformity in any new or remolded construction to fit the current direction that has been established. To me that makes sense, it is why zoning laws exist. That ordience should extend to colors used as well. I would further suggest to enlist “Wright on The Park” group to draft the ordience. They would get my vote to set the standard.
The one thing that I find perplexing in it all, is how they got it perfect without once asking my advice….lucky I guess. A million to one shot, it happens.
Peter Children
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