JC – Downtown Centre For Sale (Johnson City, Kingsport: section 8, credit, house)

[jabogitlu]

http://johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?ID=75882

The Downtown Centre is up for grabs. In a strange twist, Johnson City may be looking to purchase it to use as their Juvenile Court, after passing up getting the building for free in the land swap a few months ago.

All I know is, it's an ass ugly building and a horrible remnant from urban renewal-era architecture. It (I surmise) wiped out an entire block of historic buildings smack dab in the downtown core and replaced them with a giant monolith. At the street level it does nothing to engage pedestrians and is a SERIOUS roadblock to Market Street development. What other uses could we have for this land?

[rccrain]

Well, it happens to be voting time. Hopefully there will be a strong anti-incumbent sentiment. Both the city and county commissioners need to find new employment.

[jabogitlu]

I'm not a Washington County-registered voter (probably will be in the area for at least two more years so I should probably fix that, eh?), but I wonder if any local media has done a 'meet the candidates' thing? I have no idea who's running for what (I completely ignore signs along the road) or if there are any candidates strong advocating a more dense urban core.

[SarahSal]

jab, Thanks for posting this.. Yes, it sure is an incredibly ugly building -- the *one* thing to its credit is that it has parking - lots of it..

We'd talked once before on this forum about what could be done to improve on its ugly facade. I'd noted what was done with a similar building in Wilmington, NC where that parking garage's exterior was beautifully redesigned and the structure was turned into shops - and I believe living spaces. Hard to imagine - but a creative architect/designer could transform that building and put it to good use.. We'll have to wait and see what the city's reaction is to the possibility of acquiring it. Too bad they didn't act when they could have gotten it for free!

[rccrain]

The "big one" is for Washington County Mayor. It's - Eldridge (the wealthy business man), Arnold (the experienced statesman), Reeves (the anti-establishment little guy). I am leaning toward one candidate, but I am less than thrilled about all of them. The best source of info I've found was a questionnaire published in The Press. Obviously the county mayor is only going to have a minor say in "dense urban core" matters.

The candidates: http://www.wcecoffice.com/editor/201...ion%281%29.pdf

Side note: Is there any chance that Jack D. Daniels will not be elected Trustee?

[jchometeam]

Its sad, but in TN, anyone named Jack Daniels will be elected to anything they run for.

I dont know much about any of the candidates. If you find one that is for "dense urban core" let me know, ill be sure to vote against them. That is a terrible concept as far as im concerned and is exactly why I like this area so much, it is spread out.

As for downtown centre, you have to have the parking lot. Without that parking, downtown NEVER does anything.

[SarahSal]

As for downtown centre, you have to have the parking lot. Without that parking, downtown NEVER does anything.[/quote]

Don't know if I entirely agree with this theory -- look at Asheville, for one, and its dearth of parking - although they do have parking garages.. If the city has any sense at all they'll acquire the downtown centre as an asset for the future of downtown's businesses and its residents.

Although the other town I live in half the year has extremely limited parking (and very narrow streets) but has wonderful shops, indoors and outdoors and is always filled with lots of people and activity. To me it's really less about parking and more about the quantity and quality of shops available - as well as foot traffic. Obviously one helps the other. We have always said about DT JC that it has to be a destination, a place people are drawn to and enjoy visiting again and again. Searching for that (those) drawing card(s) should be a number one priority - in concert with dealing with flooding of course.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by jchometeam

Its sad, but in TN, anyone named Jack Daniels will be elected to anything they run for.

I dont know much about any of the candidates. If you find one that is for "dense urban core" let me know, ill be sure to vote against them. That is a terrible concept as far as im concerned and is exactly why I like this area so much, it is spread out.

As for downtown centre, you have to have the parking lot. Without that parking, downtown NEVER does anything.

I'll refrain from arguing about urban centers, as I'm sure neither one of us will change the other's mind. I'm sure we can agree, though, that the most successful cities have vibrant and alluring downtowns. While Johnson City will probably never be 'dense,' the land-use management around downtown (ie- the self storage lots across SoF from Tipton/Spring Streets) leaves quite a bit to be desired. Also, the planning and execution of downtown programs (ie- the farmers market being set up in a bare parking lot) is lacklustre and illustrates a village mentality. Johnson City is a city, and a fairly large one. There are a lot of brilliant minds here and our city has some wonderful architecture and amazing history. It deserves better than what it has right now.

[SarahSal]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

I'll refrain from arguing about urban centers, as I'm sure neither one of us will change the other's mind. I'm sure we can agree, though, that the most successful cities have vibrant and alluring downtowns. While Johnson City will probably never be 'dense,' the land-use management around downtown (ie- the self storage lots across SoF from Tipton/Spring Streets) leaves quite a bit to be desired. Also, the planning and execution of downtown programs (ie- the farmers market being set up in a bare parking lot) is lacklustre and illustrates a village mentality. Johnson City is a city, and a fairly large one. There are a lot of brilliant minds here and our city has some wonderful architecture and amazing history. It deserves better than what it has right now.

As always, Jab is right on the money..
So, where are the "brilliant minds" when a property some view as essential to downtown's progress is seen as an albatross -- while the city is putting millions and planning millions more for other projects totally unrelated to downtown development? They say they don't need the space but you can bet your bottom dollar that in a year or more, you'll hear cries about the lack of space for one or another city agency. Then the hunt will be on for a hugely expensive parcel - with huge planning and architectural fees not to mention the construction costs. When, all along they had a useable and valuable property in their sights..

Once again it is a lack of vision (and imagination) for the *future* needs of the city - as well as the current needs of downtown - not to have so many empty, unused spaces. And, then who will buy that property and for what purpose? More section 8 housing? And what of the lost asset of all those valuable parking spaces in the parking garage? Guess all you can do is throw up your hands and say, oh well, just one more lost opportunity in the long saga of downtown's redevelopment..

JohnsonCityPress.com - Local News - Johnson City, TN

[jabogitlu]

JohnsonCityPress.com - Local News - Johnson City, TN

One of downtown Johnson City’s largest buildings, the nearly abandoned Downtown Centre, along with the downtown community around it could soon be brought back to life with the help of Northeast State Community College.

After touring the former courthouse in mid-November the community college is considering purchasing the building to house a much needed Washington County campus. The college currently has campuses located in Elizabethton, Blountville and Kingsport, but with a large number of students travelling from Washington County, there is a significant need for a Johnson City campus.

Washington County Mayor Dan Eldridge said the college is very early in their search for a facility for a Washington County campus.

“They’ve expressed their interest in establishing a Washington County campus, which we very much want to encourage,” Eldridge said. “They liked what they saw but they are still very, very early in their process.”

If the city and county are smart they will court the hell out of Northeast for this property's development. I could see this being a very, very good move for the future of downtown.