Decision to place? I don't think businesses are dictated to on where they can be placed. Panera I'm sure was the one who chose which location they would build into. And given the number of people who work right down in that area, I don't see either Einstein's or Souper Market hurting for customers at lunch hour. I'm pretty sure the market can support it. (Einstein's is also not local, it's a chain and that particular one needs some serious TLC on the inside).
Again, no one is going to tell a business where they should go, you can't just "place" them wherever you want. Madison has issues, bigger issues than one business can fix. But so did Detroit. You can only focus on so much at once and I'd rather the city focus on one area and fix it before moving to the next, diluting resources will product mediocre results everywhere.
If the city only offered space on Madison, I guarantee Panera probably wouldn't have come. The area isn't conducive to foot traffic, or even steady lunchtime work traffic.
No you can’t force businesses, but you can creative incentives that would work better with a city-wide vision. And yes, come cities and developments (such as Legacy Village) have dictated how many of whatever kind of businesses will be represented. I have heard from many who are connected that some of our local businesses are hurting from too much competition. I know many families & individuals who want to cut back on their expenses and I don't think we can count on the economy bouncing back. Even when it does I don't think it will come back in the same way before this down turn. I think how we live and work is changing and Lakewood has the opportunity to be a trailblazer--if we want it.
A city may have to work in phases and yet can still can have a master plan. Does LA work closely with MAMA? Even if it is not its mission it seems to me it would make sense to stay connected and work together this way. Right now we have so many organizations just doing their own thing –over the long run that will not make our economy stronger. There are some great models out there of cities that were able to bring many factions together for a common vision (Pittsburgh comes to mind). I work with the Lakewood Family Collaborative. We are starting to really understand and grasp how much more effective we can be if we pull our resources together, or the very least, make an effort to communicate. Maybe that is going on—I don’t know. I am asking.
But you think people will drive to Lakewood Hardware if they already have Home Depot in their backyard? I'm not sure I understand.
Meaning, big box stores or strip malls is not the answer. I threw in the Lakewood Hardware comment to say again "good to buy local", and in my opinion, not to bring in businesses that may cause what you already have to struggle & die. I know people do travel to Lakewood to visit our antique stores—that is unique and not everyone can get that experience in the far suburbs. Grow that. There is a lot of potential in Lakewood to create niches that will attract people who will spend their money here.
But I also want to emphasize that transparency doesn't mean necessarily doing what you or I want them to do. There are 50,000+ people in Lakewood all who have different visions for what this city could be.
True enough—until they think the right thing to do is to close a highly effective and much needed elementary school because someone thinks the building is ugly or to make room for a strip mall.
I see a lot of people complaining about the focus on downtown Lakewood or other initiatives and decry the organization for that. But what about those of use who like what's going on downtown and think the changes are positive?
I do want an active, profitable, and safe downtown. But, I also want our efforts to be sustainable over the long-term. We can’t just fix things now and hope that in 10 or 20 years from now that it will still be working. I moved to Chicago after college in the 80’s. I thought Cleveland was getting its act together, but I was shocked to find out the flats had died when I returned less than 10 years later. I live, shop, eat downtown Lakewood. There should be more focus on other areas and I hope that the city will step up their efforts.
I think that our discussion points out that we need balance. Lakewood is diverse—we can’t cater to one subgroup’s vision. It can be all to all who live here if we have a vision and work together in that spirit. Not one group should be able to do whatever they want if it wastes city money or isn't going to sustain our city into the future. Our elected officials are supposed to be the voice of the people--are they listening to everyone or just one group?
Missy--no need to apologize! You sparked some good discussion.
