American Mayors Discuss Downtown Strategies

Downtown revitalization is a topic of increasing interest and burgeoning activity across the United States. A discussion of what has happened to downtown areas is, in many ways, a discussion of the past century and a look to the future. In order to offer such an historical perspective without bowing to millennia mania, ESP researchers decided to ask real mayors about what has transpired and what is happening in their hometowns.

What led to the downfall of America’s downtowns? Why are people interested in downtown reemergence? What will it take to bring our downtowns back? What are cities doing, or what would they like to do, to encourage downtown redevelopment? What kind of development is most important for revitalization -- residential, office, retail or entertainment?

The mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Salt Lake City, Utah offer honest and intriguing answers that explain how and why the United States, with all of its technological advancements, is kind of, well, going ‘back to the future.’

Mayor Tom Fetzer
Raleigh, NC

“The premise that downtowns have had a downfall is harsh; they were in a state of transition as cottage industries left. Now they are undergoing a resurgence. Society and culture moves in cycles. It’s now very trendy to live in a downtown loft. Young, single, urban professionals like to walk to work and people like to walk to theaters, bars, restaurants and stores.
The larger picture is that public safety became an issue in downtown areas. Downtowns that are enjoying health today have looked after public safety and the public perception of it. To aid in the perception of public safety, Raleigh has visibly increased the presence of police on horseback, on foot and in cars, and has increased the number of police sub-stations. We have also moved our homeless shelter to a 24/7/365 situation, making it more accessible and making the city more attractive and inviting.
Raleigh has also undertaken a $30-million renovation of our performing arts facility and invested in a new children’s museum and new museums of history and natural science. People are calling us the “Smithsonian of the South.”

Raleigh’s downtown City Market

Negative things that are thought of and spoken about downtowns are generated from false expectations. It’s not realistic to expect New York City in a city with a population of 275,000. The American attitude is “We want it all, and we want it now,” but Raleigh is not New York City and it’s not ever going to be.

What is needed in downtowns is synergy. Residential development is critical to create a ‘day and night’ downtown and the demand for shops and restaurants. Next is entertainment, because it makes the downtown go at least 18 hours; businesses are only open until 5 p.m. and retail until 6 p.m. Raleigh has one of the last remnants of the 70s, a faddish urban design that was turned 25 years ago into a ‘main street mall’ with no cars allowed. We need to recreate that street. People forget how critical parking is; when you take parking away, you create obstacles. Onstreet parking is best and cities should not cheat themselves of it.”

For more information about opportunities in Raleigh, contact Mayor Tom Fetzer, 919-890-3050, or the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, with which the city maintains a contract for economic development, 919-664-7000.

Mayor Jim Baca
Albuquerque, NM

“The reason that any mayor is interested in downtown revitalization is because it is a reinvestment into the core of the city, and the city is where it all began. Economic development generates dollars and gives people a sense of community and place. Downtowns are great!

The flight to suburban areas led to no life in the downtown. Reasons for suburban flight were the auto, which made it possible to live a different kind of life, and the destruction of mass transit. Now people see the beauty of the old model of live/work/play areas. Now when young people move out of the city, who moves in? Their parents. Older people, all people, are tired of getting in the car to go everywhere. They want to walk to restaurants, coffee shops and the grocery store. They want a simpler way of life. And cutting down on cars saves money.

Albuquerque’s new revitalization plan starts with entertainment and dining, with a 14-screen theater surrounded by retail and housing. We need mixed use in the downtown area, and there is a great demand for housing. We will also be building an arena in the next few years. For a downtown revitalization plan to work, there has to be a partnership between the government and private sectors.”

For more information about opportunities in Albuquerque, contact the Albuquerque Economic Development Department, 505-768-3286, or Pat Bryan, president, Downtown Action Team of Albuquerque, 505-242-6922.

Mayor Deedee Corradini
Salt Lake City, UT

“Salt Lake City went through what every other city has gone through – the flight to the suburbs. Part of the cause of suburban sprawl is federal spending on highways, enabling people to escape to their big houses on big pieces of property. Salt Lake City experienced a significant loss of population. In 1960, it was 191,000. By 1990, it was 159,000. Now we have been able to bring it back up to 175,000.

Our first objective was to attack crime. Although Salt Lake City did not have the level of crime of some cities, gang-related and youth crime was increasing at the rate of 100 percent a year. Our whole strategy was ‘What can we do to bring in activity, people and housing?’ Only cities with 24-hour downtowns will be successful.

Years ago, Salt Lake City made a big mistake, allowing two big malls to be built next to each other right in the heart of the downtown. They should have been built on either end of the main street, letting small retail fill in between. When they went dead, there was a big hole right in the middle of our main street. We started to revitalize the south end of the street by acquiring and donating land to the state for a courthouse. This has brought in hundreds of employees to the downtown area.

We have reworked city ordinances to allow for redevelopment and the city has spent $20 million to beautify its main street. We redeveloped a project where there was an abandoned Penney building. We leveled the block and created the Gallivan Plaza with Class A office space and an activity center. We built a beautiful park with a stage and and ampitheater and programmed the heck out the block, offering shows and festivals. We saved the old Continental Bank building; it is now the Hotel Monaco. We redeveloped another abandoned building into main-floor retail with loft apartments above.

In another area on the south end of the main street, there was an abandoned area called ‘Block 49’ that was becoming known as a drug dealing area. Even HUD wouldn’t touch it because of the drugs. We developed mixed-income housing and a hotel. People are moving back to the downtown as fast as we can build housing. We have found that an 80/20 mix (80 percent market price, 20 percent low income) works best for us.

We have developed partnerships wherever we can – with banks, private entities, the county and the state. The city contributed to the remodeling of our convention center by donating $15 million dollars to its renovation. Even though it is county-owned, the convention center is tremendous for 24-hour activity in our city.

We have brought light rail into the city; our new facility opens December 4. This is a very positive step that is really bringing retail back to the downtown. Our main street is coming alive.

Our biggest project is the Gateway Project. The location was 650 acres that was an abandoned industrial area, located under viaducts hooking the interstate freeway to the downtown. When the state was going to rebuild I15, we had a window of opportunity that resulted in pulling up 22 miles of railroad tracks. We are now redeveloping the first 50 acres; The Boyer Company, a local Salt Lake City developer, is redeveloping it as a mixed-use district with retail, commercial and housing. The project has been chosen by the federal government as a Brownfield Showcase Community. Groundbreaking is scheduled for December 12, so it will be ready for the Olympics.

It’s wonderful to know that the Olympics is coming. We have used it as an excuse and a lever to say, ‘Okay, we have to show our best face when the world comes here. We have to do things now.’ But we would do these things for the future of our city whether the Olympics was coming here or not. We will use everything we are building; we want to become the winter sports capital of the United States.

We’re big on mixed use. There’s so much going on here – people are recognizing that it’s fun to live in a downtown atmosphere with no transportation hassles. It’s the ‘In’ place to be.”

For more information about opportunities in Salt Lake City, contact Stuart Reid, director, Salt Lake City Department of Community and Economic Development, 801-535-6230.