Opinion
Email
Print
Downtown signs
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: February 1, 2009
Winston-Salem's not a metropolis, but downtown is spread out. First-time visitors often have a hard time finding parking garages and attractions. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership has a simple, low-cost plan to help business and tourism in these slow times -- signs.
The partnership wants to buy and install signs to point visitors to parking garages, "Restaurant Row," the Arts District and the new baseball park. Working with the city, the partnership could erect signs pointing to parking for about $10,000. It would be a good investment.
Revitalization in downtown Winston-Salem, as with many endeavors these days, has been slowed by the recession. Work on some key downtown projects, including the new baseball stadium, has dropped off. The developers of the West End Village will soon put their unsold units on the auction block.
The times call for new ideas. At a meeting Tuesday, the partnership sought public input on two other issues that affect revitalization -- parking and zoning. The partnership continues to try to sell more people on the idea of parking in decks. There are only so many parking spaces on the street available.
Zoning is more controversial. Downtown's general commercial zoning doesn't stop developers from putting up widely varied buildings. There's no bar against buildings without doors facing the street or ground-floor windows. Such facades don't exactly welcome shoppers. The partnership wants the city to add restrictions that would prevent such development.
Some are opposed to that idea, saying that the city should be doing all it can to help developers in these recessionary times, not make it harder for them. Downtown zoning rules shouldn't be too stringent, but they could be refined. The rules should protect those who've already taken some risk by investing in downtown buildings. They want new construction to be as compatible as possible. And, as other cities have found, that's also needed if revitalization is to succeed.
Zoning changes might prove hard to accomplish, but putting up signs wouldn't be. "This is pretty much the low-hanging fruit," said Jason Thiel, the president of the downtown partnership. Thiel said the partnership has finally reached consensus on which signs to use.
In addition to regular signs, the partnership also is interested in smaller, kiosk-style signs pointing pedestrians to attractions. They would cost more -- a total of about $75,000. Thiel said the partnership has already applied to local foundations for some of that money.
For a total of less than $100,000, downtown could have signs that would make visitors feel welcome and at home as they visit restaurants and shops. That might seem a small thing -- but who hasn't been frustrated by poor or non-existent directions in a new town and just left?
The partnership should keep pushing on this idea, and the local foundations should strongly consider helping out.
Email
Print
