For a small town to be a strong town? It needs vision

The biggest things that keep small towns from being a strong town is lack of vision, or having it, and being fearful  to use it.

While I love the small town of Logansport Indiana that I have both my business and home in. I have realized there are issues that prevent it from becoming all it could be. Part of it is a culture of people waiting for the ”Magic Factory”  that will come and provide all those good paying jobs lost in the 1960’s and 70’s and local government  relying on “Consultants” and a inexperienced city planning department, to guide their future rather than use ‘vision’ and feel confident in their ability to understand the basics of doing what will have positive outcomes rather than being fearful of attempting the unknown.

Case in point our local historical society.  There was an offer from the owners of a local bank to ‘donate’ a 4 story commercial property sitting on a prime piece of real estate in the downtown (essentially 3/4 of an entire city block). The building was built decades ago and shows it age and it was built on the “car centric model “ 4 story density office building/bank with huge parking lots to service it.  BUT it is essentially an entire city block opportunity. Bounded by 3rd and 4th street and Market and Broadway, it is a key essential block in the downtown's future.

If you look at the 1898 map you can see the urban density of the site. Multiple separate buildings with a variety of businesses insured that if one or two failed that there was sufficient retail mass to attract replacement. 

The only building left remaining of this entire city block is this 1800 era multi story that is home to a local restaurant. Note the 'thumbnail park' the local governments answer to everything.

The property is across from the first major downtown investment in decades.  A 3 million dollar investment in an old hotel turned offices, back to a mixed use first floor retail will be reopened to the street with market rate apartments on the upper floors. This development represents a “game changer” and occurred only after the failure of developers (needing grants from other sources) to do low income housing. In the scheme of things, housing costs are so low here that ‘low income housing' is frankly, not needed. This new developer, from out of town, has come in to do market rate. This market rate housing will bring a demographic to downtown that is sorely lacking and represents the return of “over the shop housing” and a key component to downtown rebirth

There is no denying the issues are complex. The Historical Society runs a Museum house, a dying breed in itself; they have a large collection that they cannot display in the current facility, but lacks the ability to generate community interest to keep it relevant. Some generous donors have stepped forward with grants/gifts to make this project happen, but even with that, there is not enough support among the board to take the leap and get outside their comfort zone. So what could be a game changer becomes another missed opportunity.

A once vibrant downtown decimated by parking lots and one way streets

What should happen with this site? Well the city could have been a partner with the nonprofit historical society in redevelopment, but the city officials lack an understanding of the inherent value of the site.  A series of action and lack of action by the city has resulted in a downtown of parking lots and scattered thumbnail parks, that not only create no destination, but provide no residential housing downtown to have a vibrant downtown.

The problem is the city plan?  One of several 10 and 20 year plans calls for nothing more than another downtown park/plaza on land to the east of this site. Another "town square“ type of proposal with the  obligatory small convention center, and lets not forget a parking garage, done by ‘consultants’ that generates no revenue and no tax base but is somehow suppose to be a catalyst for change and rebirth. If that sounds like the failed pedestrian mall effort of the 1980’s to make downtown relevant? This is the modern iteration. A failed idea, doomed from the start that would also involve the demolition of more buildings too. Simply replacing pavement with green space does not revitalize the downtown. What is does accomplish, is, it locks an entire block of downtown into no future development, no new housing or business and becomes a liability to maintain.

What is needed here is an understanding that for the town to be vibrant and to grow it needs a return to the pre WW2 density. In this case retail, small scale, with residential above.  Not the current new urbanist large box first floor type of model, because, large retail is not returning to the downtown. What is needed is 750-900 sq ft retail, with maybe one anchor 2000 sq ft tenant on the corner. This insures long term stability of the streetscape.

The quadrant on the South could be developed first and it would sit on a block with a long established restaurant and across the street a classic Art Deco Theatre acquired by a nonprofit that is working towards its restoration, it is the type of event venue that will bring and retain younger people in the community.

Once that first phase is built, one can gauge the value of it and obviously the next phase down the road would be the NE quadrant (corner of 4^th and Broadway)  that could have more of the same, (or could have been a new county historical society museum),with the ultimate goal the renovations of the Bank/office building into more street retail (restaurant/bar and shops) with higher end condominiums on the upper floors and the construction of a smaller parking garage to accommodate resident parking. 

This site, sitting where it does, has views of both the Wabash and Eel Rivers and historic Bankers Row and could be potentially be the most valuable property in town.

Impossible? No it’s done all the time and is a proven model of re-urbanization of downtown surface lots everywhere with success. The obstacle is finding the Politician's and a planning department to get out of their comfort zone. Yes, I just made a lot of people at city hall even more out of their comfort zone with this blogpost, but without a community dialog and bringing these systemic issues/problems to light? Nothing ever changes