Downtown Johnson City: The Transformation Begins (Jonesborough: real estate, foreclosure, city hall)

[mbmouse]

Very good sign, lets hope it really happens this time!.

[SarahSal]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Very good sign, lets hope it really happens this time!.

Good news that renovation/restoration of the depot is moving forward - and I'm encouraged by JCDA talk of developing some kind of effective retail strategy. Now *that* could be very cost effective if they consider doing what many suggested a decade ago -- and that is using some kind of incentives to get businesses back downtown!

Part of Press article by Jeff Keeling

"Historic preservation and renovation don’t come cheap, Johnson City Development Authority commissioners learned Friday when discussing their pending ownership of a dilapidated historic railroad depot downtown..."

JohnsonCityPress.com - Local News - Johnson City, TN

[jabogitlu]

I honestly am amazed that JC had no retail strategy. What do you mean, there was no retail strategy!? *sigh*

[SarahSal]

And, more still on the depot... Part of the story -- didn't know they had a fan page on facebook. That's kind of cool for the JCDA --- and YES, Jab, 'no real retail strategy' to speak of except for occasional downtown 'events'..They need, one way or another, to get the stores and offices occupied to support each other - and the downtown residents! But this JCDA board does seem to be more virgorous than past boards (partly because of Commissioner & board member Marcy Walker) so maybe all this transformation stuff stands a chance!
All aboard: City rolls dice on old rail station

By Jeff Keeling
Press Business Editor
jkeeling@johnsoncitypress.com

The train leaves the station in a few days, and it’s a station (and a journey) that could help make or break Johnson City Development Authority’s role in downtown’s future growth. A century’s worth of Johnson City history will pass, for $150,000, from a mortgage company into public hands Wednesday, when JCDA buys the former CC&O Railroad Depot at the intersection of Cherry and Buffalo streets. The way JCDA Treasurer David Tomita sees it, that’s when the real heavy lifting begins.

JohnsonCityPress.com - Local News - Johnson City, TN

[jabogitlu]

For this to be a viable project the way the JCDA is intending, the city has GOT to find a way to better link that intersection with the pedestrian qualities of Tipton St. and Main/Market. Nobody (or at least, I won't probably) is going to drive specifically to the railroad station to buy flowers from a vendor.

Otherwise, I think it's a good deal. Personally I feel that Johnson City is a bit too financially cautious at times (or, well, perhaps it's that they direct their funds into too many non-downtown projects) so doing this project may be a good learning experience for them.

I think that hinging the future of downtown redevelopment, or even the existence of TIF, on the success of this project is a bit of a dramatic overstatement, but then again the governments around here tend to thrive on dramatics, so...

[SarahSal]

Yes, it should be a multi-faceted approach - with one of the most important facets of all; bringing back (in any and every way possible) good retailers and businesspeople who will rent spaces and create the vitality needed to bring life back to downtown.
I almost choked when I saw the figures for just engineering plans to redo the roof!! I bet there are plenty of roofers in the TRI who choked, too and said, let me at it, I could figure it out and do it for a mere fraction of the price! Those figures are insane -- hope whomever is involved gets a second opinion.

[mbmouse]

I agree, that roof # is insane! I just (middle of last month) put a huge roof on a commercial building so I believe I know what it costs. The check I wrote at completion was less than 10% of that number.

Correct me if I am wrong here, but didn't the prior owner of the station apply for TIF and get denied? Doesn't JCDA control TIF? Doesn't it seem like a conflict of interest that they are also recipients of TIF? I didn't think they could do that???

[jabogitlu]

Oh honey please, don't even bring that up. Then they'll argue for nine months whether or not they can TIF themselves, all the while downtown crumbles just a little bit more.

Maybe I'm just a libertarian but seems to me that if we dissolved the URA and the JCDA and sold all these buildings to local entrepreneurs, our downtown would be in much better shape. Maybe Johnson City just needs a good benefactor to shake things up.

[mbmouse]

oops, your right Jab, I better hehehehe

I agree with you, let JC and it's organization deal with the infrastructure of the streets and area and give the entrepreneurs a bit of room to work on the buildings and businesses. That game plan has worked in other cities, why not JC.

[SarahSal]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Oh honey please, don't even bring that up. Then they'll argue for nine months whether or not they can TIF themselves, all the while downtown crumbles just a little bit more.

Maybe I'm just a libertarian but seems to me that if we dissolved the URA and the JCDA and sold all these buildings to local entrepreneurs, our downtown would be in much better shape. Maybe Johnson City just needs a good benefactor to shake things up.

Originally Posted by mbmouse

oops, your right Jab, I better hehehehe

I agree with you, let JC and it's organization deal with the infrastructure of the streets and area and give the entrepreneurs a bit of room to work on the buildings and businesses. That game plan has worked in other cities, why not JC.

You are both SO right! But it's not gonna happen - mainly because of the tight control the aforementioned have on downtown (the development company, fortuitously for them, has its link right on the JCDA website)..
So sad because long ago what you proposed *could* have happened when the *people* ever so briefly had some control - but then, as in any tale of woe, power factions developed and lost sight of the main goal - revitalization of downtown.. And that happened *several* times until the aforementioned grabbed the reins and took over. I remember at one time labeling it a near oligarchy..

I think the two people (and I don't always agree with them) who are pushing hard to achieve success are Ms. Kuhn and Com. Walker. I give them credit for being tenacious and feisty in view of a recalcitrant, less than eager-to-fix- downtown commission. But even they're trying harder these days - unfortunately, they're also skeptics about the future returns and real value of what they're doing.

But, hurrah that the depot has been saved and will be *something* that JC can feel good about. Now this is something they *should* involve the people in - fundraisers for certain elements of its restoration - but NOT that rediculous amount to engineer then fix the roof! Those amounts are ludicrous...