I just returned from a whirlwind tour of parts of New York State, and had a chance to see first-hand how some downtowns are faring, and comparing them to some of our own here in Niagara. Not quite the good, the bad and the ugly, but read on for my take on that most elusive of urban dreams, a vibrant downtown...
I have written many times about our downtowns both here in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls in particular, and how considerable sums of money - both public and private - are being spent to revitalize city cores in Niagara. In Niagara Falls, every time I visit Queen Street, or "The Q" as it is affectionately now known, there seems to be something new to experience. While that is good, it is often cancelled out by another business that has given up the struggle and closed up shop. Some are long established businesses like My Country Deli and others are more recent startups that couldn't get a foothold in the downtown core.
Overall, downtown Niagara Falls is faring better than I expected and on my last visit a few months ago I was generally pleased by what I found. But much more work needs to be done in order to keep the businesses there open and bring in new businesses to fill the available empty spaces. What is needed most, I think, is a different mindset on the part of local residents who often believe - wrongly I feel - there is simply nothing to bring them downtown in the first place. That will take a lot longer and more than just money, but something simply has to be done in order to convey the message Niagara Falls' downtown is open for business.
Here in St. Catharines, we have many new projects on the go in order to revitalize our downtown, beginning with the new parking garage across from the downtown bus terminal, completed just over a year ago. Work has begun on three major projects along St. Paul Street, too: the new Performing Arts Centre, the Marilyn I. Walker Centre for the Arts at Brock University incorporating the old Canada Haircloth building, and of course the much-anticipated spectator facility taking shape in the lower-level parking lot. It is funny in a way more people are anticipating the spectator facility than anything else, but such is life in Canada when sports - and hockey in particular - are foremost in many people's minds. As for me, I may never go there, but I recognize the need for the facility so don't begrudge my taxpayer dollars going towards it any more than those going towards the Performing Arts Centre.
Other ideas are coming to fruition in downtown St. Catharines as well. We apparently have a new temporary civic square coming later this month along part of James Street opposite the Market Square/parking lot area, between Church and King Streets. Now why this is not up and running already is open to plenty of conjecture, of course, and I had a chat about this very subject just last evening with Councillor Matt Siscoe while we both took in the new Tuesday evening farmer's market which debuted this week and runs for six weeks. Would it not have been wiser to have the civic square idea settled like around June, I asked? By the time they get it up and running it will be about the third week of August. The response was basically, we are lucky to be getting it this late in the season given the acrimonious debate behind closed doors that apparently took place on this idea.
I think the civic square idea is a good one and worthy of our support, but a temporary one will only take us so far. We need a permanent square in order to be truly successful, and for inspiration we need only visit downtown Guelph, where they rebuilt the area in front of their downtown City Hall fronting Carden Street with a wading pool/ice rink, lighting and seating areas, and lots of attractive new streetscaping details. It is a model others can and should follow, including us eventually. I visited last month late on a Saturday evening and several people were still in the wading pool at 10 pm. Many eateries and entertainment establishments throughout the downtown were hopping, and that is what you want to see.
Our temporary civic square will be a pilot project and I hope it does fly. So to, I hope the new Nighttime Farmers Market takes off and becomes a permanent attraction downtown. The first one last evening from 3 to 7 pm appeared to be well attended and most people - vendors and visitors alike, seem to have been happy with the result. There was lots of entertainment, food and wine and beer available for purchase, as well as the nearly full complement of market vendors you would find on a Saturday morning. This project will run only to September 10th initially, but if it is well received it could become permanent. I hope it does, as it showed yet again people will come downtown if you give them a reason to. The first market night was an unqualified success.
There is another aspect to downtown St. Catharines not found in other downtowns I have visited, designed to make the core more accessible to walkers. Local history booster and social media expert Robin McPherson came up with the idea to post proper signage intended to show walkers the distance between different downtown venues. Need to get from Market Square to Montebello Park, for example? There's a sing pointing the way and the distance you will travel. It is a novel idea and an example of the efforts being utilized right here at home to make the downtown a more user and pedestrian-friendly place to be.
So, on the weekend I travelled down to Salamanca, New York for a weekend getaway, and to use that as a base in order to discover the area. It was more than an eye-opener. Downtown Salamanca has become a bombed-out shell of its former self, with lots of old character buildings simply boarded up and abandoned. The ones that have survived are mostly cigarette shops operated by the Seneca First Nations. We stayed at the old Dudley Hotel in downtown Salamanca, and it has seen better times to be sure. But it is a survivor, owned by a devoted lady who simply won't allow it to die.
Most of the people who visit Salamanca come for one reason only: the Seneca Casino on the outskirts of town. We didn't go, but we did drive by it several times and it is the only bright light left in the area, really. People come and stay at the hotel, take the shuttle to the casino, and then in the morning leave town. Not much help for the rest of the town, unfortunately, but such is life in a depressed part of New York State where the local economy is now governed by a casino. Something to think about, would you not agree?
One of the other jewels in the area is the lovely Allegheny State Park, a huge nature area that runs for miles and miles. We drove from one end to the other, stopping every now and then to take in nature's beauty. It is really one of the wonders of the area, and yet even there the economy has shown to be a problem, as the main restaurant in the park is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
About ten miles north of Salamanca is the picturesque town of Ellicottville, and the difference is like night and day. Well-cared for homes, lovely gardens, neatly manicured lawns and a thriving downtown business district. Why? The local economy embraces the tourist industry in a big way, with skiing of course being the big attraction in the winter. But summer months there is enough else to keep you there as well. They host a Taste of Ellicottville this coming weekend, in fact. This is a perfect example of a town taking advantage of their natural gifts in order to build a local economy they can depend on.
On the way back on Monday, we stopped at East Aurora, just south of Buffalo, and again, here is a downtown you just want to spend time in. It is not unlike downtown Oakville, with lots of established businesses and great attractions such as the long-established Roycroft Inn. This is a downtown anyone would be proud to call their own and if you have never gone I encourage you to pay a visit some day soon. East Aurora, too, has taken their strong local economy and built upon it in order to make them a destination worth driving to. I already plan to go back again this fall and see some more of the area.
So, there you go. Lots of ideas shared on downtowns both near and far, and several success stories alongside success stories in the making here in Niagara, and a genuine diamond in the rough in Salamanca. Just think of the cost of real estate down there right now...
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
August 7th, 2013.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment