…Dominated the weekend news.
Prevailing opinion —-at least as stated in Saturday’s N&R front-pager— appears to be that the proposed performing arts center —funded with a bond on the November ballot —-should go downtown instead of at the Greensboro Coliseum complex. What jumped out at me was Downtown Greensboro CEO Ed Wolverton “definitely challenging” the conclusion that a downtown venue would be considerably more expensive than the coliseum site.
The coliseum site has officially been designated ‘Plan B’ and both Mayor Robbie Perkins and the N&R say we don’t need no Plan B. The N&R writes:
If downtown is Plan A, then leaders should make a firm commitment to it. Find a site and work to secure the private funding. If they fall short, they should not proceed to a bond referendum for Plan B, the coliseum complex location. Instead, they should delay until the private funding is in hand.
Winning a bond vote requires the best plan. Perkins and others offer a strong argument that a downtown GPAC will deliver the biggest bang for the buck — if private funding is part of the mix. Pledges must be secured before voters are asked to approve a proposal. If that happens this year, put Plan A to a vote. If not, voting on Plan B would be a terrible mistake. It would be more likely to fail, setting back GPAC fortunes for a long time. But even if it passed, it would give Greensboro a performing arts center at a location that’s only the second choice. That won’t make it another DPAC.
The N&R also addressed the Trader Joe’s issue in Sunday’s editorial, endorsing the proposed Friendly Avenue-Hobbs Road site that is drawing opposition from nearby residents:
Ideally, it would be nice if such a juicy retail plum would locate in an area of town that isn’t as blessed already with so many retail options. But Regency officials say they consciously target “best-in-class” shopping districts for their centers. The site has the strong regional profile and convenient access they seek.
The care taken in the conception of this project, its modest size and scope, the developer’s responsiveness to community concerns, and the potential arrival of a Trader Joe’s make this a project well worth considering.
“A Trader Joe’s brings with it good jobs, and its presence in your community is like an affirmation that you and your neighbors are worldly and smart,” writes Beth Knowlett in a 2010 Fortune magazine profile.
With a continued responsive ear toward neighbors, it would be “worldly and smart” to move forward with this proposal.
While the accompanying front-pager reports that Trader Joe’s has indeed placed stores in existing buildings as well as a “struggling area in East Dallas over a wealthier neighborhood to the north,” it seems to me that it’s Friendly Avenue site or nothing, in wich case it will be the City Council’s job to determine the interest of the neighborhood versus the desire for a Trader Joe’s. That’s why we elect them.
