On Tuesday, 27th January, a meeting will be held downtown to discuss the current state of the various downtown initiatives such as the downtown ballpark, residential construction and so on. It is a most difficult time in WInston-Salem, much the same as anywhere else in the nation. But that is no excuse to continue on with the plans set forth to revitalise the downtown area and create an area with a mix of residential, commercial and entertainment businesses.
Still, there has been setbacks of various degrees. The West End Village development on Fourth and Broad has been forced to auction off the rest of the unsold condos it has perhaps at prices far less than the original list prices. The rest of the development has been on hold for the duration until the local housing market recovers.
Downtown restaurants are still closing down like the Center City Grille located at One West Fourth St building even as others start up. Retail remains a dead zone outside of the Trade St area. Even retail outside of downtown is in some serious difficulty with Circuit City going under now and various strip malls losing tenants.
Still, there is promise of better things happening. The ballpark seems to be resuming construction after several weeks of being idle. The Kernel Kustard is moving along renovating the Breuggers Deli location into a hot dog spot. Not sure if it beats Skippys in a hot dog competition. Went by there on Saturday with my father and he appreciated the flavour and quality of the hot dog on the pretzel roll bun.
The Downtown Partnership has come up with a new plan to help build up downtown. It is going to divide the downtown area into three sections, each with focal center and main business thrust. For example the center section will be focused on the Civic Plaza and will emphasize retailing while the southern section will be centered around the newly renovated Sawtooth Center and theatre. These sort of plans always come and go every couple of years. For many places, it is just an exercise to keep themselves busy but in the case of Winston-Salem, these plans do have a track record of success though the immediate future is bit murky for kicking off a new business plan.
In my part of Winston-Salem, Clemmonsville Rd is being extended from Old Salisbury to join up with another road that goes between the Wal-mart and the Lowes hardware store located off Peter’s Creek. Along the road, a new sub-division with a commercial area will go up along the south side of the road. As I not much of a Wal-mart shopper, the shorter travel does not mean much to me but it may mean a shorter commute in the future.
Manage to get out and take some photographs of the Old Salem area. I have plenty of photos from the historic section of town but I keep finding it a most interesting subject that I return to again and again. Some different looks at familiar subjects and some new items all together.
