http://rockrivertimes.com/2009/09/23/price-going-up-for-mall-removal-downtown-streetscape-project/ The Rock River Times - THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1993 Tue, 21 May 2013 21:10:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://rockrivertimes.com/2009/09/23/price-going-up-for-mall-removal-downtown-streetscape-project/comment-page-1/#comment-255 john connell Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:25:37 +0000 http://rockrivertimes.com/?p=20372#comment-255 We spent a bit of time in Ottawa, Canada this summer and were quite impressed with the two downtown street malls we encountered. Plenty to see and do. Plenty of places to eat and/or drink, wonderful places to meet friends and enjoy oneself. The big difference between their malls and ours was that there were those places to enjoy oneself. Our new throughway will just make it easier for folks to pass by what little exists in the downtown area. We spent a bit of time in Ottawa, Canada this summer and were quite impressed with the two downtown street malls we encountered. Plenty to see and do. Plenty of places to eat and/or drink, wonderful places to meet friends and enjoy oneself. The big difference between their malls and ours was that there were those places to enjoy oneself. Our new throughway will just make it easier for folks to pass by what little exists in the downtown area.

]]> http://rockrivertimes.com/2009/09/23/price-going-up-for-mall-removal-downtown-streetscape-project/comment-page-1/#comment-248 Duane Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:02:24 +0000 http://rockrivertimes.com/?p=20372#comment-248 It is a shame the downtown mall was removed in the first place. I do not see how replacing a pedestrian mall with a street will encourage people to come downtown. Personally, I would come downtown if the $1.9 million was spent on putting gardens, water gardens and making it a pleasant place to walk in the mall and expanding the river walkway. Chicago is a fine example of what can be done by taking a river asset and making it a place of destination with a river walk. Rockford had the beginnings with the pedestrian mall. They decided to pursue the wrong direction by ripping out something that was good rather than maintaining and improving. It is a shame the downtown mall was removed in the first place. I do not see how replacing a pedestrian mall with a street will encourage people to come downtown. Personally, I would come downtown if the $1.9 million was spent on putting gardens, water gardens and making it a pleasant place to walk in the mall and expanding the river walkway. Chicago is a fine example of what can be done by taking a river asset and making it a place of destination with a river walk. Rockford had the beginnings with the pedestrian mall. They decided to pursue the wrong direction by ripping out something that was good rather than maintaining and improving.

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