N&R Sunday front-pager further analyzing the dispute between Downtown Greensboro Inc. and the City Council.
Council member Nancy Vaughan asks the crucial question:
The city spent less than a million dollars on DGI last year, when downtown saw $25 million in growth.
.. Opponents wonder whether DGI should take credit for that growth.
“What did DGI have to do with that?” Vaughan asked.
The councilwoman and others pointed out that DGI’s staff may have had little or no interaction with some of the developments included in that $25 million worth of investment.
The “little things” DGI can take credit for aren’t enough, council members and DGI critics said.
By the same token the Council’s wish list for downtown isn’t exactly specific:
Council members have a long list of changes they would like to see downtown. They want more foot traffic all day long. They want new stores — the kind that won’t go out of business in a few months.
They want the sidewalks and other physical features to look more attractive.
They want new events that reach out to a broader range of people than the family friendly Fun Fourth or the artsy First Friday.
They want DGI to bring the ideas.
