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Today in Rumor Milling, Paula Vega is scheduled to move into a subdivided Empire Books and establish a new storefront (with separate entrances) there. I know he's been looking for someone to take that space for several years and apparently she's going to do it. Supposed to be done sometime this fall.
Has anyone heard anything about tenants for Dr. Touma's spaces next to the Arts Center?
She could definitely use the increased space and higher visibility. Hopefully this will help Empire too. If they could connect on the inside and she would offer some hot drinks too, I think it would be a match made in heaven!
I haven't heard anything about the spaces next to the VAC. I'd imagine it'll be a few more months until they are completely finished. It looks like they are doing a pretty comprehensive renovation there. It would be nice if they could combine those spaces and get something larger.
She could definitely use the increased space and higher visibility. Hopefully this will help Empire too. If they could connect on the inside and she would offer some hot drinks too, I think it would be a match made in heaven!
We are talking about the corner space that's on 10th Street, right? If so, then that makes me wonder how she will place her entrance. I know that it seems unimportant, but one wall faces the parking lot of a bank (eww) and the other faces 10th Street, which has no storefront business and also faces a parking lot. Visibility is actually my concern now. Lol
I thought the original plan was for Paula Vega to move to one of the properties on 8th owned by Gifford Perdue. I agree, if she utilizes the space to collaborate with Empire Books, it will be wonderful. Two of my biggest pet peeves with downtown merchants that that Paula Vega was never open after dinner (I can't tell you how many cupcakes we'd have bought otherwise) and that Empire Books never had a "cozy" area to just hang out and read. I know they have a couple tables in the back, but when I go to a book store, I like to sit, be comfortable, order a mug of coffee (or beer, in the case of Taylor Books), and read the first couple chapters of a book. I'm much more likely to buy the book in that case; I'll never be able to finish a book in such a setting, but it would be one which I could read enough to be intrigued at the rest of the novel. If they do it right here, I'll be spending much more time there!
Going to go on a bit of a rant here regarding KineticPark. On lunch sitting on the upper level of KineticPark and see that the Fairfield Inn & Suites is progressing nicely and looks to be close to opening and then look all around and take not of the STILL vast pieces of desolate land that remain on the property. I think is is astounding and quite frankly should be embarrassment for HADCO/HMDA. The fact that they have not been able to completely develop this property to capacity is unbelievable, and again, in my view, an embarrassment for the organization. I mean, here we have as prime a piece of land (KineticPark as a whole) available just off the I interstate with excellent visibility from the interstate and Hal Greer Blvd. and they still have not been able to fill it up. There just seems to be a major disconnect somewhere. Something is not working. Remember the Taco Bell that was supposed to be built on the last remaining parcel on the lower level? Maybe not, because it hasn't been reported on in so long. Even the fact that they couldn't land something more exciting than a Taco Bell raises concerns. Are they reaching out to anyone? It's hard for me to believe that no other businesses (besides Taco Bell) would be interested in locating at such a prime spot. The upper level would be an absolutely phenomenal location for mixed use retail, lodging, and offices. There have been some successes from the property, namely Amazon, but overall the project has just not lived up to its potential and there has to be some explanation, that I'm sure we will never get. End rant.
Going to go on a bit of a rant here regarding KineticPark. On lunch sitting on the upper level of KineticPark and see that the Fairfield Inn & Suites is progressing nicely and looks to be close to opening and then look all around and take not of the STILL vast pieces of desolate land that remain on the property. I think is is astounding and quite frankly should be embarrassment for HADCO/HMDA. The fact that they have not been able to completely develop this property to capacity is unbelievable, and again, in my view, an embarrassment for the organization. I mean, here we have as prime a piece of land (KineticPark as a whole) available just off the I interstate with excellent visibility from the interstate and Hal Greer Blvd. and they still have not been able to fill it up. There just seems to be a major disconnect somewhere. Something is not working. Remember the Taco Bell that was supposed to be built on the last remaining parcel on the lower level? Maybe not, because it hasn't been reported on in so long. Even the fact that they couldn't land something more exciting than a Taco Bell raises concerns. Are they reaching out to anyone? It's hard for me to believe that no other businesses (besides Taco Bell) would be interested in locating at such a prime spot. The upper level would be an absolutely phenomenal location for mixed use retail, lodging, and offices. There have been some successes from the property, namely Amazon, but overall the project has just not lived up to its potential and there has to be some explanation, that I'm sure we will never get. End rant.
So yeah I completely agree with you. However, at the same time I'm looking at the development, or lack thereof, and thinking, "Well I could have told you that." There initial idea was alright I suppose. They wanted to attract some white collar jobs to the region, I guess inspired by NCWV's Tech Corridor. That's a very niche business that hasn't had really had much to do with WV, although I'm optimistic for the future. We were basically competing for something that didn't have a demand to be here.
The money and effort that they used to build and get Kinetic Park to state it is today, could have been used better in other areas of the city. I mean imagine what would have happened if they bought up a bunch of land in the West End by Old Central City and marketed that to...any group. That area was right by the interstate and already had vacant land available; so they wouldn't haven had to blast away the hill on Hal Greer (saving money there). Maybe we would have a revitalized Old Central City, or at least it would be easier to revitalize than it is now. You want mixed-use buildings on that plot? Imagine how much more sense that would make, and how much easier it would be to sell, if it were in some spot in the city.
My point is that we had available land in the city, and by interstate exists (which is something that they claimed made the site attractive). What were they thinking? Did they really want those suburban office complexes that you see by Fairmont and just outside of Pittsburgh? That type of development is not sustainable, and assists in sucking the life out of their nearby city cores. I really hope that we direct our development towards the city and not in the other direction. Maybe HADCO/HMDA realizes that now. Or maybe they don't because they sold the parking lot on 4th ave and 8th st to a company with "great plans" to beautify it into a lot with more green. Give me a break. What a joke; let's just keep one of the most valuable lots in the city as a parking lot. Look, what that company is doing on 3rd is really exciting, but they could have done a number of things, such as have another developer turn that site into a mixed use complex with parking set aside for them. Anyway, that's what I think of those groups.
Wow. Now I went on a rant. Anyone else want to join in. Lol.
I had heard that about the 8th street property also, but a quick ask in the shop, "hey are you moving" turned out to be a "no.
Apparently if she takes the space in Empire, it will be a separate build, not connected to the bookstore. They'll put a new entrance on the plaza as well as at the end of the building. So you won't be reading and eatin' at the same time.
I also understand how nice it would be for her to be open in the evenings, but as the entire town outside of Pullman becomes a veritable ghost town, it really doesn't behoove any people to say open that late. Town dies at about 5, and that's a long time between then and when people might venture back out around 8:00. It is my fervent dream to have busy sidewalks all evening in Huntington. It's just not there yet.
I also understand how nice it would be for her to be open in the evenings, but as the entire town outside of Pullman becomes a veritable ghost town, it really doesn't behoove any people to say open that late. Town dies at about 5, and that's a long time between then and when people might venture back out around 8:00. It is my fervent dream to have busy sidewalks all evening in Huntington. It's just not there yet.
I think that is a dream of most everyone on this forum. My personal dream would be for Huntington to have many different commercial centers that are active even up close to midnight. Like if Old Central City, Downtown, and some other neighborhood centers had an active, and safe, street life until at least around 11pm-1am.
I agree that having the two businesses connected could be a great opportunity for both in the long run. Obviously it comes down to numbers.
What do you think about the idea if developing a container type park space (mixed restaurants, beer garden, performance space, etc.) on 4th avenue between 11th and 12th streets? It could attract more people to downtown and maybe serve has a connector between MU and the CBD. To be honest, I think that a project like this could work on the parking lot property on 4th Avenue and 8th Street too.
What do you think about the idea if developing a container type park space (mixed restaurants, beer garden, performance space, etc.) on 4th avenue between 11th and 12th streets? It could attract more people to downtown and maybe serve has a connector between MU and the CBD. To be honest, I think that a project like this could work on the parking lot property on 4th Avenue and 8th Street too.
What do you mean exactly? It sounds like another, but smaller, Pullman Square.
Maybe something along the lines of what's been approved for Reno Nevada.
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