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The Downtown area is facing more competition from the booming developments outside the city. New eateries and clubs are locating at Suncrest, UTC, Pierpont, West Ridge and so forth where people can go to nice, new facilities and not have to deal with downtown parking issues. There are still nice restaurants and clubs downtown and in the Wharf District, but nightlife and so forth is more spread out now.
If the Downtown is to regain it's prominence, it will need to dress itself up.
The Downtown area is facing more competition from the booming developments outside the city. New eateries and clubs are locating at Suncrest, UTC, Pierpont, West Ridge and so forth where people can go to nice, new facilities and not have to deal with downtown parking issues. There are still nice restaurants and clubs downtown and in the Wharf District, but nightlife and so forth is more spread out now.
If the Downtown is to regain it's prominence, it will need to dress itself up.
The eateries can be duplicated but not all of the unique niche shops you find downtown and the walking experience.
Whether people like it or not it's everyone's problem. The employees downtown just see it daily. Downtown's are a gauge of the health of the greater community. It's an important thing that visitors look at. All of the strip malls and shopping centers in the world won't change that fact.
To paraphrase a post from that Facebook thread I mentioned, "A lot of people really like going downtown. I'm one of them. I don't mind parking or driving there. However, I DO mind getting rushed by a homeless man with a tiki torch".
Wow, I did not expect this thread to garner so much attention. I really was hopeful that I caught Morgantown on a bad day or there was some music festival going on nearby. I live in Charlottesville and had looked back with fondness at Morgantown as a city of practicality that hadn't been caught up in the same bull**** that I deal with here at home. Really saddened to hear what has been allowed to transpire. As someone that has traveled a ton for work, I've seen the results of disastrous policy decisions manifest themselves across much of the US, but it's usually the larger cities with better climates that get overrun by the "homeless industrial complex" (I like that).
What's scary is that everyone that lives in places like Morgantown or Charlottesville or wherever thinks that it's just their little town that's being destroyed from the inside out by virtue signaling crazies , but the truth is that EVERY town in America is under similar threat it seems. As soon as you start getting familiar with a different place you realize the same exact crap is being pulled on the citizens there too... It happens so gradually that it's hard to notice it, but for someone like me who literally lived in an apartment on High Street for 2 years about 15 years ago and have spent very little time there since, the change is drastic and stark.
Wow, I did not expect this thread to garner so much attention. I really was hopeful that I caught Morgantown on a bad day or there was some music festival going on nearby. I live in Charlottesville and had looked back with fondness at Morgantown as a city of practicality that hadn't been caught up in the same bull**** that I deal with here at home. Really saddened to hear what has been allowed to transpire. As someone that has traveled a ton for work, I've seen the results of disastrous policy decisions manifest themselves across much of the US, but it's usually the larger cities with better climates that get overrun by the "homeless industrial complex" (I like that).
What's scary is that everyone that lives in places like Morgantown or Charlottesville or wherever thinks that it's just their little town that's being destroyed from the inside out by virtue signaling crazies , but the truth is that EVERY town in America is under similar threat it seems. As soon as you start getting familiar with a different place you realize the same exact crap is being pulled on the citizens there too... It happens so gradually that it's hard to notice it, but for someone like me who literally lived in an apartment on High Street for 2 years about 15 years ago and have spent very little time there since, the change is drastic and stark.
Thanks for starting this thread. You are seeing downtown after this time with a fresh pair of eyes so to speak. You are absolutely right about the gradual change building up. I was surprised about how much I have had to say and how it is effecting me.
Thanks to all of these posters bringing "blasts from the past" about how nice it was. It's not my imagination or seeing things through rose colored glasses.
The disastrous policy decisions you mentioned are being made here too. The article I linked quoted Charleston also saying similar things to what I was saying. The local homeless population there is manageable and not causing trouble. They too are terrified of the out of state transients.
Well, our out of state city manager says he wants to approach the problem "holistically". Really? Maybe I should call my hippie, flower child sister (bless her heart) from San Francisco to come and burn some sage over the town to fix all of the junkies coming here? LOL She is too smart for that. You don't have to be born in a place to be "local" and even the very liberal locals in SF are speaking out about the problem there.
There is one voice I haven't heard here yet. Many of the people who post here are very educated. The people working downtown for minimum wage see the worst of it. A few spoke out on FB. I didn't know it was this bad either and learned something too. Please understand this is a colored view too as they see the worst. It doesn't look like the "Hunger Games" or something downtown yet. LOL I will include a post with name removed (if allowed) The anger in it was precipitated by the "compassion brigades" who flooded that thread when out of state junkies/transients were brought up. Their opinion is that we need to welcome them here and help them too. (Give me a break - no community has those kind of resources)
This post really stuck with me and read like a cry for help:
You are totally right its a huge problem and getting worse I was told by a lady that works for the city that they bring them in on a greyhound bus and drop them not far from the Bartlett house... These people that think we are heartless and want to cater to them and say ahh poor thing just down on there luck their not drug addicts you all are "clueless" you have no clue what your talking about come work with me for a while deal with what we have to deal with and I guarantee your opinions will change.
I saw someone get bash the other day on here because they asked a question about the homeless and didnt help them... Well I have to deal with the homeless every freaking day let me clue you in they dont want your help they want hand outs they act as if something is owed to them, they are mean, hateful and very disrespectful not only to others but to the business..
They break into our equipment destroying it in the process to get a quarter, they come into the store and steal from us all the time, they make disgusting messes in the restroom that we in turn have to clean up if you people that want to pity them would like to come clean up after them please feel free we will be more than glad to let you.. they cuss us, scream at us, and threaten to kill us.
And thats just a short version of what we deal with .. Us and our company has asked the police for assistance because its so out of control there and as usual the police do nothing and for those of you who want to say they all are not on drugs come see me and I will let you clean up the needles and the burnt foil they leave in our bathroom, in our trash and out in our parking lot I will sale you the choy boys, the baking soda and the tin foil that they have had their nasty dirty hands on because they decided to open it take what they want to cook their drugs and put the rest back on the shelf for you the customer to purchase ..
Oh! And lets not forget all the times we have had to call 911 for all the idiots that have OD'ed butt naked on the toilet with a needle left jammed into their leg the time that the EMTs had to waste to give these drug addicts narcan so they can go right back out and do it again they could have used their time helping someone who actually needed and wanted their help.. so dont tell me its not a problem, dont tell me oh their all not drug addicts that they just need someone to care they dont want you to care dont tell me ahh! Poor baby down on their luck and dont tell me we are all being heartless.. I suggest you all come deal with it on the daily see what we see everyday before you speak about what you dont know .. The more the city of morgantown and others in it hand to them the worse the problem is going to continue to be ..
If you like craft beer, Morgantown brewing is worth stopping at downtown and I've never had any issues around it. The waterfront area is nice and has a couple good restaurants to eat at (my favorite being Table 9). The WVU arboretum is very nice and I've never heard of anyone having issues over there.
Kinda. Near Mountain State and Oliverios is ok, but the waterfront park is infested by transients making constant trips to the public bathroom to do their drug of choice. No long a place for families or regular people to enjoy the park. The sometimes camp in or near the arboretum too.
The Downtown area is facing more competition from the booming developments outside the city. New eateries and clubs are locating at Suncrest, UTC, Pierpont, West Ridge and so forth where people can go to nice, new facilities and not have to deal with downtown parking issues. There are still nice restaurants and clubs downtown and in the Wharf District, but nightlife and so forth is more spread out now.
If the Downtown is to regain it's prominence, it will need to dress itself up.
Its not all about accessibility and facilities (it is aesthetically a dump though). People don't like that filth and drug den atmosphere.
Hopefully the Hotel Morgan will get some badly needed attention soon. It received a pretty dramatic renovation 20 years ago and was a great place to stay, but I don't think they've done a thing to the place since then. It's looking really rough these days.
Kinda. Near Mountain State and Oliverios is ok, but the waterfront park is infested by transients making constant trips to the public bathroom to do their drug of choice. No long a place for families or regular people to enjoy the park. The sometimes camp in or near the arboretum too.
Very true. If the city puts money into the Waterfront park like they are planning they need to address the elephant in the room keeping people away. Otherwise nothing will change. I saw on the news that West Palm Beach FL is taking a temporary (and quite amusing) stance with a similar problem. It will be followed by tough trespassing laws.
Florida city hopes 'Baby Shark' song will drive homeless away LOL (BTW I am not heartless for anyone wondering. The people working downtown look out for anyone needed. We know the difference)
I live in downtown Orlando, but was back in Morgantown visiting last weekend and I saw more homeless people in downtown Morgantown than what I see in downtown Orlando.
I passed numerous homeless visibly tweeking and asking for money. While I'm not foreign to this stuff, the frequency of my encounters while in downtown Morgantown was alarming.
It is a shame.
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It will be followed by tough trespassing laws. 
