After a long absence, Mr. Kat reappears with an editorial on the reality behind the Roanoke Market plans.
I agree with Mr. Kat on the changes, I think they are brilliant. But I am not about to lay down and watch as it gets bickered into "a power washing and new coat of paint."
Thats why I am so adamant about the AMWV, and hard-nosed about the vacant storefronts downtown.
I myself hope to open a place downtown one day. I've got my eye on a few places which would be prime for my special brand of retail.
Im talking about being 2 years out from this particular project. And alot can happen in 2 years, so I have a vested interest in how downtown grows and changes. A vested interest in how this town operates, as do we all. Wether or not we realize it.
We all have laundry lists of what we would like Roanoke to be. Top of the list for most people, and the very reason Roanoke has won accolades in years past, we all want it to be a great place to raise a family.
And that begins with us, if we don't stand for the changes we want, and the changes we don't want - then we are losers.
I could tell you horror stories of NYC, the city which everyone dreams of, everyone wishes to emulate in ways they don't even begin to imagine. I can give you specific incidents and causes as to why emulating the "Big Apple" is not the best of ideas.
If those who wished to emulate NYC could go live in NYC for a year or two - in a moderate apartment or home, working a job, the regular NYC life, and see how often you really cared about Art, or going to the opera or ballet. The sad truth is you don't have time. You don't have the ability to breathe without worry like you do here. Wether or not you see it that way, thats the way it is. It's all in how you pace yourself and your life. A control you easily lose in NYC.
Im not going to ramble on about this, Im too tired. Pursuing the dream leaves you exhausted, but in a good way.
1 comment:
My wife and I moved to Boones Mill in May and of course Roanoke is our adopted city. I have a daughter going to North Cross, another to New Vista Montessori and we do alot of business in Roanoke. We recently had dinner at Awful Arthurs after walking around that part of town. We had a great time. It was a much better experience than driving to the Valley View side of town to a chain restaurant's parking lot, waiting around for 45 minutes outside to get a table, and then, after eating, getting back in our car and driving home. That's what most sprawl happy city planners call a good time. Personally I think it sucks.
I haven't read that much about the plans in store for Roanoke's urban development. I need to read more about it. Roanoke already has it's eastern quadrant with its sprawl-happy cars-before-people philosophy, which I would argue has its place in every city. However, if we let Roanoke's old city streets lie fallow we'll miss an opportunity to create something special. What I would like to see is something along the lines of Burlington, Vermont's Church Street Marketplace (http://www.churchstmarketplace.com/). Several thousand feet of Church Street in Burlington is closed to cars. It's lined with brick pavers and there are hundreds of restaurants, art galleries, shops and so on. It's a great place to immerse yourself - a place where people come first and cars come second.
Sean
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