A destination or a business welfare state?

On the topic of more people coming downtown, I think it illustrates the idea of "If you build it, they will come" gone wrong.

The past thirty years or more of urban planning, both here and across the country, prove you cannot spend the downtown into success. Additionally, without vibrant, viable neighborhoods, you just don't have the people to support the downtown.

Further, without a reason to go downtown, people will go elsewhere. Why? free, close parking, easy access, both in and out and a relatively safe, well lit environment, among a litany of reasons.

What works in the downtown? Destination businesses. Doctor's offices, government offices, lawyer's offices, service businesses to support destination businesses.

If we maintain and improve the neighborhoods, all of the neighborhoods, we will have a strong city. If we maintain the downtown, destination businesses will need space to work and the population will be large enough to support a finite number of these businesses.

By their definition, people will be drawn from farther distances to frequent these businesses. These businesses would not be found in the local strip mall, necessitating a trip to the destination to fill a need. The fact that they cull customers from a regional area greatly increases their primary demographic numbers, something a chain restaurant or a generic mall clothing store cannot do.

We've relied for far too long on supporting business plans that rely on governmental welfare to be viable. When will we learn that self-serving politicians who dump money into downtown to support their cronies under the guise of economic development are robbing Peter (the neighborhoods) to pay Paul (the crony businesses) and it only does more damage.

The right path is to maintain the infrastructure in the city. Pave the roads. maintain the government buildings. But don't literally give away the store to businesses that demand or require government support as an integral part of their business plan money because when the gravy ends, so does the business.

Businesses that need seed money should be in incubators, not independent, functioning businesses sponging off the largess of government. Incubators should help new businesses with viable plans for a set number of years until they are established and then they should fly or falter on their own.

When we start with the assumption that people should frequent any business because it's good for the local econonmy, we have a recipe for failure. People do what works best for them, financially and in terms of accessability. You can't shame people into a business. They have to make that decision themselves.

Businesses grow and prosper because they fill a need. As a bedroom community, we would fill a need. When and if the long-rumored train comes through, the most important goal we can have is strong neighborhoods. Starting off with anything less, given the changes the train would entail, will leave us fighting to regain control that we will never have again.

When the first train whistle sounds, we have to be ready. I honestly don't expect that will be the case. We're already behind and we don't have the leadership to catch up. But it can be done. All we need is a leader with the foresight to realize a coordinated effort will make us all better in the end. That thought process does not currently exist.

We reap what we sow and the only thing the fields have going for them right now is a choking abundance of fertilizer.