Galveston Plan To Revive Downtown

[lockmat]

The uninviting bleakness of concrete and asphalt that pervades Galveston's historic downtown will give way to parks and pedestrian friendly streets lined with greenery if the City Council can be persuaded to go along. The Historic Downtown Strand Seaport Partnership, representing more than 800 businesses, asked the City Council on Thursday to use $20.5 million in hurricane relief money for the first phase of a two-part $72.4 million revitalization plan. The federal money must be spent on projects meant to spur economic development.

The final study will be completed within 30 days and sent to the City Council with a letter formally requesting the funds and asking that the partnership administer the plan.

The presentation was well-received by the council. Mayor Joe Jaworski said the members should begin discussing it in January. Federal funds for the project are unlikely to become available until late next year. Officials said it would take about six months to begin the first project once the money is in hand.

The first phase would build the first of three modern downtown parking lots that would eventually replace dozens of smaller lots.

Creating such a place to will never done by private enterprise, said Steve Fuller, economist at George Mason University in Virginia. "Something has to jump into this void and it has to be the public sector," Fuller said. Every dollar of public money will attract $4 in private investment, he predicted.

The plan also means building hundreds of thousands of square feet of additional retail space

rest of the article here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7301663.html

[lockmat]

Courtesy of Downtown Galveston via Houston Press

also, a link to the see the presentation for this plan (I think the first plan was proposed but looks like they're going with the second one)

[TheNiche]

The caption should read: "Anywhere, USA" I wouldn't know that it was Galveston at all, but not for the elevated Starbucks.

I sincerely hope that Galveston never looks like this.

[lockmat]

The caption should read: "Anywhere, USA" I wouldn't know that it was Galveston at all, but not for the elevated Starbucks.

I sincerely hope that Galveston never looks like this.

You don't like the new buildings for their generic looks? I can understand that but maybe it's generic just for the presentation, to serve an idea than what's actual.

If Niche had all the power and money (available, not unlimited), what would a revitalized downtown (any town) look like? What types of things would he implement and how would they look? What does Anywhere USA do that theNiche would not?

[TheNiche]

You don't like the new buildings for their generic looks? I can understand that but maybe it's generic just for the presentation, to serve an idea than what's actual.

If this consulting firm was just trying to indicate that boxes could line the streets, then that's what they should show are unadorned polygons. But it strikes me that their idea was to influence people (and by extension, politicians) to do what they're suggesting, and that could have been accomplished more effectively by showing an image that paid homage to Galveston's architectural heritage, which itself was shaped by links to the waterfront and the persistent threat of storm surge. The locals understand that, but this out-of-state consulting firm obviously did not. They have failed (in my eyes) to accomplish their goals. They phoned it in, and so I lack respect for them.

[plumber2]

Being that the Tea Heads will take over leadership in Galveston County in January, don't count on any backing from local politicians, other than mayor Jaworski, for any federal money coming to Galveston.

[bachanon]

disaster relief funds should not be used for anything other than repair and basic restoration. if trees fell through my house during ike, should i be given funds to add a master suite too or simply repair the damage. my house would be more marketable and improve the neighborhood if i had extra amenities. the taxable value of my home would increase.

oh wait, the disaster relief included funds to be used to spur development over and above basic repairs. it's great that we have so much money floating around we can give millions in discretionary funds for city councils to "spur economic development" in the name of disaster relief.

is this a bit too much help? i have doubts about the effectiveness of this kind of thinking.

[livincinco]

Link to the full plan:

http://www.downtowngalveston.org/files/11-16-10_galveston_presentation_draft.pdf