tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576891160168626433.post3017891105673011079..comments2024-03-28T21:35:41.587-07:00Comments on The Hamster: Apartment Development Projects Signal New Era for DowntownThe Hamsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982987718802884720noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576891160168626433.post-25263038250641346342018-03-04T06:00:09.455-08:002018-03-04T06:00:09.455-08:00Thanks, Nicola, and George.
I'm totally with ...Thanks, Nicola, and George.<br /><br />I'm totally with you on open space; the smart growth/new urbanism movement believes in compact, dense development in already-developed spaces, like our downtown urban core, and preservation of open space, farmland, and conservation areas in outlying parcels, vs. continual suburban sprawl. <br /><br />When I was traveling by train through central Europe a few years ago (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic) it was interesting to see that once you left large cities like Munich, Prague, and Vienna, you'd see fields of crops and livestock grazing within 10 miles or less. In many places in the US, particularly the eastern seaboard, all you would typically see within that distance is more suburban development. <br /><br />George, I'm with you too on reuse of municipal buildings. Whether the Danforth is rehabbed or torn down, it's a critical downtown parcel that needs to be put into some active use. Maybe for a parking lot/garage that the mayor mentioned as a possibility. I believe her quote of $20K per parking space was for a multi-level garage, not a paved, flat lot. While a paved lot holds fewer cars, construction and maintenance is much cheaper. <br /><br />I don't know all of the specifics about the old parking garage at the library, which abuts the Danforth parcel, but due to I believe faulty construction or materials it apparently didn't last as long as it should have. The new lot is nicely designed and seems to meet a lot of the library's parking needs.<br /><br />I hope, too, that the new city government gets some organization to lease the old library building in Saxonville, whether it's a business or non-profit. It will bring more vitality to the village and more potential customers to the nearby businesses.The Hamsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12982987718802884720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576891160168626433.post-16803303456504191452018-03-03T16:31:17.365-08:002018-03-03T16:31:17.365-08:00This is a well stated post. I believe that the ho...This is a well stated post. I believe that the housing options being added to downtown are critical to the type of reformation that you describe. I think it is the last major piece of the foundations.<br /><br />I hope the City will be able to address some of the issues we heard the other night at the Mayor's community meeting quickly. Some easy parking fixes need to be implemented. Also, the Danforth Building has to be addressed. We can't be like others and leave our municipal buildings empty. We have two big ones right now between Danforth and the library in Saxonville. A good reuse of Danforth will add one more piece to downtown reformation.<br /><br />George Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18148001242793445073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-576891160168626433.post-67585794461456645932018-03-03T14:17:30.411-08:002018-03-03T14:17:30.411-08:00Kudos, Brett, this is spot on. And of course your ...Kudos, Brett, this is spot on. And of course your blog post and my applause may come as a surprise to those who know you and me personally and associate us with our commitment to and participation in matters of wildlife and open space conservation.<br /><br />The two things are not mutually exclusive. <br /><br />In fact, the preservation of open space and protection of wildlife depends heavily on the intelligent development of the city space. It's just that one doesn't understand that concept until you have a deep and long education in conservation. Let us hope that occurs and the excellent plans for the downtown area go forward with the support they deserve.NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16567270986564586712noreply@blogger.com