Comments on: Decatur Square Will Soon Get Athletic Field Treatment

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:37:26 +0000

You’re right that the C’ville downtown mall is successful and really enjoyable to be in, Judd, but I’d suggest caution in assuming its lessons are directly transferable to Decatur. Enough time has passed since the first wave of pedestrian malls were installed around the country. Many have failed or have gone through multiple efforts at life support before being restored to their previous function. But some have not and have even thrived so, with the wider statistical sample to study, people have been able to gauge the conditions under which success is more likely.

As it turns out, the two most important conditions for success are a) a significant, pedestrian-oriented population already in close proximity; and b) sizable existing tourist traffic occurring for reasons unrelated to the pedestrian mall. C’ville, as you know, has both of these in spades. UVA’s population, and students are about as pedestrian oriented as you can get, is around 25,000, with a continual influx of new kids that haven’t yet grown tired of the downtown experience. Add to that the tourist traffic generated by Monticello and related activities and you’re talking about not just a ton of people but a ton of people looking for a place to hang out.

So, again, context is the key. I thought the idea of adding dining to the Blount Plaza around the fountain was a great one that I hope comes to pass. There’s already a ton of public space up there that’s ripe for better activities and use, such as the family-focused stuff you mention. But I remain unconvinced about taking out the parking courts. If you can’t offer the retailers the prospect of large pedestrian and tourist populations to compensate, taking their convenience parking out is a nail in the coffin. At least that’s my perspective, for whatever *that’s* worth.

By: Karass

Karass — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:27:25 +0000

Great idea. Text descriptions often sound like advocacy but pictures may be truly convincing. One element that’s hard to do in 3D though is humidity. Everything out West as the advantage of low humidity. Easy to have an outdoor focus when mosquitoes and steam are not a feature of the ambience. Even the Northwest has low humidity in between its rainy or snowy periods.

By: Decatur Metro

Decatur Metro — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:44:29 +0000

Two questions: have you seen the Parking Lot movie? (based in C’ville)

Also do you have any pictures? I’m thinking another good regular post feature would be pics of elements of other cities that Decatur residents found desirable. Would be different enough from EOTS and get people thinking about a variety of ways to think outside the DEC bubble.

By: Judd

Judd — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:10:06 +0000

I was just in downtown Charlottesville a couple of days ago and it was clear how much room for improvement there is for Decatur’s Square. C’ville is much bigger, but there’s much to learn.

it was clear that, despite some street parking, default parking is in well designated parking decks. Decatur is the opposite (people think street parking first and get frustrated … decks are poorly designated) and that’s fixable.

The pedestrian shopping/dining area was green and shady, with lots of dining out in the open, adding to the feel that people were out and about. From a previous DM post on allowing dining tables up by the fountain, it sounds like we’re moving the right direction.

Putting these two together, it seems to me that turning the two loop parking areas into green/dining space would be a no-brainer. More serving space for restaurants, more attractive to shoppers/diners. But it would require a concerted effort to promote deck parking — of which we have plenty.

C’vill also has some nice draws for kids, including some public installations — a little carousel and two big chalkboard/sculture things. Decatur is a big family town. How to capitalize on that to boost the Square on a daily basis?

Glad to see beginning to get the Square getting the attention it deserves.

By: Rebeccab

Rebeccab — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:06:29 +0000

“It would be so much better to plant drought-tolerant ground cover that kids can run on, without being so irresponsible with tax dollars and critical resources.”

That’s an interesting idea. Did you have something in mind? I was trying to think of all the things that could be planted, low maintenance, and could be played on but am drawing a blank.

If it conserves all resources, and can live even in the heat with minimal water, it’s probably worth at least investigating.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:29:15 +0000

Did you bring this up at the roundtables? There was a lot of discussion of shuttles and such and some things made it into the strategic plan.

By: decaturite16

decaturite16 — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:55:27 +0000

Kidding aside, there are several cities that do this. Rochester, NY, which has a nice downtown despite its Rustbelt locale, and Annapolis, MD, are good examples. But you’d have to figure out how to keep it from becoming courthouse parking on weekdays.

By: decaturite16

decaturite16 — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:44:48 +0000

More panhandling than there is now? They must have been lined up two deep, given the scrum I have to work through at the east side MARTA entrance every day.
So how about letting the downtown biz owners form a taxing district to pay for purchasing free parking lots on the edge of the CDB and to fund a circulator shuttle to get people to and from them? Sort of like Disneyland — “Now remember folks, you’re parked in Blue Goofy.” What would be good names for the lots?