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Are you referring to west of Pitt St, south of the Tar River, and points westward? I wouldn't mind seeing downtown try to claim that area, up to the railroad tracks.
But how would one start a gentrification process there?
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"48 years in MD, 18 in NC"
(set 15 days ago)
Location: Greenville, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThatGuyInNC
Simple. Buy property and move in!
Why would a person of means buy property in that area? That person must be given an incentive. Tax breaks and relaxed restrictions on zoning are two ways. You can also make the downtown nice enough that people would want to live near it. The downtown is the horse that must come before the cart. An increase in higher paying jobs in the city coupled with discouraging building homes and businesses in other areas helps. In that scenario you basically make the part of the city that you want to gentrify the only place that people can build new homes and businesses.
Those that would be displaced have a strong voice in Greenville. This would be quite a challenge even if the city thought it was a good idea. Unfortunately, just as the bar and club owners get their way in the city, those that would be displace would also get their way. The city lacks the backbone to effect real change in these two areas of the city. Northwest Greenville and downtown Greenville.
With the location being the ONLY variable in this hypothetical, where would you want a minor league baseball park to be built?
Dickinson/Pitt/Bonners/Railroad track
Dickinson/Ficklen/9th/Evans/10th
On the eastern or western corner of the Town Commons
Somewhere else
Just curious to everyone's opinion. This isn't for the cost or anything like that. Each one has their perks and pitfalls. I personally like the second option best.
I would want a baseball stadium tied to a big shopping / arts / entertainment facility.(Similar to the Tobacco District in Durham) Keep it near a highway, which would ideally put it on the Western outskirts of Greenville.
Either somewhere in box A or B.
As you can see, these areas are accessible by highways and more importantly closer to Ironwood / Hospital Rock Springs areas where many of Greenville's affluent reside. 43 is already in the process of being 4 laned near section A, so eventually that could be extended to the other side of the highway.
Greenville is going to have to create a nice area with a downtown feel. Fill the area with shops, sports bars, bowling alley, 3-5,000 seat baseball stadium, and possibly a 1,000 seat performing arts center. Make sure there is a police presence to make sure people feel safe. I think it could work, and it's what I would hope for a city like Greenville.
The hospital always puts up an offensive against major development in their area, their stance being too much traffic could interfere with emergencies.
We have a downtown that we can fix. It can be done. We don't need to invent a different one.
I would want a baseball stadium tied to a big shopping / arts / entertainment facility.(Similar to the Tobacco District in Durham) Keep it near a highway, which would ideally put it on the Western outskirts of Greenville.
Either somewhere in box A or B.
As you can see, these areas are accessible by highways and more importantly closer to Ironwood / Hospital Rock Springs areas where many of Greenville's affluent reside. 43 is already in the process of being 4 laned near section A, so eventually that could be extended to the other side of the highway.
Greenville is going to have to create a nice area with a downtown feel. Fill the area with shops, sports bars, bowling alley, 3-5,000 seat baseball stadium, and possibly a 1,000 seat performing arts center. Make sure there is a police presence to make sure people feel safe. I think it could work, and it's what I would hope for a city like Greenville.
The problem with this plan is, we already have a urban center and if the baseball stadium were to be built where you proposed it, the shopping would be no more than strip malls, chain restaurants, and anything else organic. What we need (at least in my opinion) is a virbrant downtown/west end where independent shop owners, young innovative workers, and maybe even some yippies can reside in without having to leave as much. When I lived downtown and a beautiful loft in the west end, I had to leave downtown/the westend for everything and that takes away from the experience. We need to make it pedestrian friendly and having a baseball park in that area can help improve that.
The problem with this plan is, we already have a urban center and if the baseball stadium were to be built where you proposed it, the shopping would be no more than strip malls, chain restaurants, and anything else organic. What we need (at least in my opinion) is a virbrant downtown/west end where independent shop owners, young innovative workers, and maybe even some yippies can reside in without having to leave as much. When I lived downtown and a beautiful loft in the west end, I had to leave downtown/the westend for everything and that takes away from the experience. We need to make it pedestrian friendly and having a baseball park in that area can help improve that.
My dream for that area would be modeled after the North Hills area in Raleigh. They have created a nice "downtown" atmosphere, complete with shops, restaurants (chain and mom & pop) hotels, bowling alley and movie theatre. There is also a Harris Teeter with apartments / condos directly above it. A couple of parking decks help keep the downtown vibe.
Of course, a slimmed down version could be put to use in Greenville, but I believe this could work. Attach a baseball stadium to it, and it would be successful i believe.
My dream for that area would be modeled after the North Hills area in Raleigh. They have created a nice "downtown" atmosphere, complete with shops, restaurants (chain and mom & pop) hotels, bowling alley and movie theatre. There is also a Harris Teeter with apartments / condos directly above it. A couple of parking decks help keep the downtown vibe.
Of course, a slimmed down version could be put to use in Greenville, but I believe this could work. Attach a baseball stadium to it, and it would be successful i believe.
Yeah I love North Hills, its like a midtown area for Raleigh but remember Raleigh has a successful downtown so having a area such as North Hills is just a nice addition to Raleigh. We don't have a successful downtown by any measures, so starting on a new district would be showing that we gave up on our original downtown which I don't want to happen.
I was thinking about the Gentrification talk from above. About other places where I think it could work in small steps. Now I don't think the area I am writing about is a low income and working class community, but the houses, for the most part, are small and older. I think new houses could be built to spur further development is adjacent areas.
So this area already has strong pillars.
St. James, Wilkerson, Wahl-Coates, St. Peter's, Cypress Glen and East Carolina occupy a lot of land, but are positive neighbors.
There are many recreational areas here, including Greenspring Park, Elm St. Park, and the greenways
Tenth Street is a major thoroughfare to make vehicle travel fairly easy.
The first area would be Elm/5th/Forest Hill/10th St.
Next, the super block of Elm/10th/ECU/5th would be tackled.
The third area would be the "island" surrounded by 5th/Cypress Glen/St Peter's/Riverwalk/Greenwood Cemetery.
The last area of this particular redevelopment is basically all of the non-apartment land from 5th/Elm/Brownlea.
If that was done in a satisfactory way, than it could continue in chucks west and northward.
Now there is some student housing around here, but I don't think that is a bad thing.
Anyways, just thinking out loud.
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