Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Missed Opportunity

A Post from Afar
(This commissioner doesn't go on vacation; he just frets about city politics via text messages and the use of his daughter's secretarial services.)

(For those new to the issue, this is in regards to the fate of the red brick building at the corner of 4th and Harrison Sts. It was voted last night to accept the proposal for the new owners to demolish the building and erect the Troutt General Store in its place. The losing proposal was for it to be kept and turned into apartments.)

I just did not see it coming. Yes, I had received emails from neighbors in support of the proposed Troutt General Store here in LowerTown, but I couldn't help but think of the tragedy of tearing down a building that dates back to just after the Civil War. No, I'm not a hopeless romantic. I understand that there is a balance that must be struck between economic growth and historical preservation, but still feel that there could have been an alternative to demolition of this structure.

Chad Beyer of i5 Design had also submitted a proposal, for renovating it to create a new four-unit apartment building. Paducah, we know, is starting an Upper-Story Living Initiative downtown. If we are to attract young thinkers and community-builders from both at home and afar, we must create attractive, affordable housing in downtown and LowerTown to give the district that sought-after metropolitan vibe.

The Troutt General store is a good thing too, but for me, there had to have been a better way forward. This did not have to be a zero-sum game. With more consideration, both projects should have been allowed to survive in a way that pleased entrepreneurs and preservationists alike. Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity to find a great location for the Troutt General Store and give a historic building a new life as a downtown living space.

To me, there is no better way to inspire a passion for Paducah in the minds of new downtown residents than to promote modern living in history-rich places. And while retail spaces like general stores, restaurants and groceries make for sustainable neighborhoods, if we don't also focus on residential spaces, who will be here to sustain them?