It takes more than just traffic to create a successful small business district.
When comparing 38th street to 46th street, I always try and remember what 46th used to look like when I was a kid. UGLY! I recall a few gas stations, KFC and a Snyders with a large broken up messy parking lot. It all changed when they used the overly large parking lot for making the small strip mall. There already was the existing traffic with potential shoppers. What made the area viable with the addition of *more* businesses. Once the strip mall took off, then even more businesses started filling in the rest of the area, making the location a good one, as it has now become a destination stop. At 38th street I see the same thing without the big empty parking lot. Instead right around the area up and down the streets (Nicollet and 38th) are empty buildings, or often struggling businesses. When Nicollet was closed off, and traffic diverted from the main cross street (38th was the MAIN cross street for the old trollies) most of the businesses dried up. 38th already has the buildings, and the origional zoning, but it is lacking the traffic it was always designed for. The only difference now is we have cars, not trollies...and most of it is on the wrong street. Now hopefully if it gets the round about and 35W access, 38th can pick itself up a bit farther. It already has a good start. To me this isn't an issue about traffic. Like it or not, we have traffic and it won't be going away any time soon, no matter what. So as I see it, we should make the best use of it as possible. Leaving it all on the predominantly residential streets of 35th-36th, is not it's best use. Tom Holtzleiter Kingfield -37th and Nicollet (who doesn't see 46th street as an "action alert" that the suburbs are somehow invading the city.) _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
