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I'm not anti-parking...just anti parking LOT on the Sterling site. A parking lot in another accessible (but less prominent) site or a mixed-use garage on the Sterling site is fine with me.
It was already said that we don't care if it's mixed use, but parking needs to be very close to the riverfront for it to realize it's full potential.
To rip down the Sterling and put a parking lot there is an insult to the history of this city and everyone who lives here and has ever lived here. A parking lot is the very last thing that I'd want to see there. I'd rather see a crack house! We deserve better. Much better. As I said before, W-B needs an attraction. Every city in this state bigger and smaller has a museum, an attraction, something it is known for. Williamsport has the little league World Series and museum, Scranton has Steamtown, Easton has the Crayola Factory..Every single city in this state but Wilkes-barre. That space MUST be reserved for a grand project...no Rite Aid, no Curry Donuts, and GOD NO level parking lot! The city needs to think big for that lot, not some crappy one story francise of some sort. The next proposal that is even given a chance should be AT LEAST as prominant as the Sterling was. I wouldn't settlefor anything less.
Good on ya, WBP. Down the road when the river front is deemed a failure because of disuse, I'm sure the grand project on Market and River Streets will seem like a great idea.
Easton, Williamsport and Scranton aren't exactly desirable models to build our city on. You want to build a museum, go for it. But make sure there is parking. Fun, entertaining ideas are great. But the nuts and bolts of urban planning are what make or break city projects.
You will still need parking in that immediate area for the success of the downtown area.
To rip down the Sterling and put a parking lot there is an insult to the history of this city and everyone who lives here and has ever lived here. A parking lot is the very last thing that I'd want to see there. I'd rather see a crack house! We deserve better. Much better. As I said before, W-B needs an attraction. Every city in this state bigger and smaller has a museum, an attraction, something it is known for. Williamsport has the little league World Series and museum, Scranton has Steamtown, Easton has the Crayola Factory..Every single city in this state but Wilkes-barre. That space MUST be reserved for a grand project...no Rite Aid, no Curry Donuts, and GOD NO level parking lot! The city needs to think big for that lot, not some crappy one story francise of some sort. The next proposal that is even given a chance should be AT LEAST as prominant as the Sterling was. I wouldn't settlefor anything less.
I agree. They tore down a nationally recognized historical landmark, both to the city & the country as a whole. Sterling Hotels is now an international franchise, and as with many other large franchises, it saw it's birth in our fine city. The Sterling wasn't just a hotel, it wasn't just a skyscraper (although it did hold the title of tallest pinnacle height in Wilkes-Barre, NEPA, & PA, outside of Philly, Pittsburgh, & Allentown for almost 90 years), and it wasn't just a landmark. It was a symbol of what was. The great wealth, prominence, high-class, high-traffic, high-population Central hub that W-B used to be. That site needs something that lives up to what I have described.
I agree. They tore down a nationally recognized historical landmark, both to the city & the country as a whole. Sterling Hotels is now an international franchise, and as with many other large franchises, it saw it's birth in our fine city. The Sterling wasn't just a hotel, it wasn't just a skyscraper (although it did hold the title of tallest pinnacle height in Wilkes-Barre, NEPA, & PA, outside of Philly, Pittsburgh, & Allentown for almost 90 years), and it wasn't just a landmark. It was a symbol of what was. The great wealth, prominence, high-class, high-traffic, high-population Central hub that W-B used to be. That site needs something that lives up to what I have described.
Unfortunatley, I don't see our incompetent bozo local "leaders" doing anything substantial there. As a person that has high interest and pride in his city, the thought of a parking lot in place of the former Hotel Sterling turns my stomach. We have ample parking in downtown already. When I look at what the pile of rubble where the former Murray Complex was, or the vacant weed filled lot where the former Planters Peanuts headquarters was, of the parking lot where the former Fell Tavern was it literally angers me. I have zero confidence in our local leadership. The city needs to work with the county, they need to get a large think tank session together with the local buisiness community, prominent community leaders, the citizens of W-B, local people of wealth and power and come up with a long term master plan for the empty crater that will be left in place of the former grand hotel...but I simply do not see it happening from these current cast of clowns that run things around here. I honestly do not think they care, as long as they are collecting fat paychecks and pensions, I don't think they will loose a wink of sleep over this tragedy. They need to work together but they do not. The city government and the county government might as well be 2000 miles apart, because they already act as if they are.
Good on ya, WBP. Down the road when the river front is deemed a failure because of disuse, I'm sure the grand project on Market and River Streets will seem like a great idea.
Easton, Williamsport and Scranton aren't exactly desirable models to build our city on. You want to build a museum, go for it. But make sure there is parking. Fun, entertaining ideas are great. But the nuts and bolts of urban planning are what make or break city projects.
You will still need parking in that immediate area for the success of the downtown area.
The River Common, though beautiful, is already a failure in my eyes. As with everything else in W-B, they build something that is nice and COULD be a major attraction, but they fail to maintain it, they do not host hardly any events accept for Riverfest, they do not advertise anything when they do have events, they cannot even figure out how to get someone to take water samples at the River Common so they can turn on the splash fountain which is the centerpiece of the River Common! All last summer the fountain sat bone dry because they would have to pay someone overtime to test the water there twice a day! We built a $34 million dollar Riverfront park, and they cannot pony up maybe $20 dollars a day to have someone take water samples?! Are you freaking kidding me?! So now, the River Common is virtually empty during the summer heat because it is a massive slab of scorching hot concrete. The fountain would attract hundreds of families with kids all summer long, but the idiots in charge will not do anything to get the fountain (which probably cost at least a few million dollar itself) up and running! The Fine Arts Fiesta was just happening, the fountain would be a welcoming symbol of rebirth as visitors enter the city, but no, there it sits as it did since they built the River Common, bone dry and empty.
Let us all take a big deep breath and instead of refusing to consider that parking is key to the success of any venture, and insisting that parking should be verboten on the hallowed Sterling site, (when they finally do get around to tearing it down), calmly consider that the term "parking lot" does not necessarily mean asphalt with white lines. It could mean a structure with some mercantile space on the first floor and levels of parking rising up several stories.
One could insist that some wonderful enterprise (a la the Reading Terminal Market) be the main occupant and office space (as if there isn't enough of that already sitting idle in the area), above. So, where will the patrons of said market and offices park their bloody cars!? Perhaps a ferry across the river from Kirby Park? Or a helipad on the roof and a schedule of commercial helicopter flights daily?
We are a nation that depends on motor vehicle transportation and accommodation must be made for parking if any commerce is to be successful. Cities were cohesive because people walked to the stores and offices. Everything was close to where people lived and worked and was walkable.
A couple of us have already explained why it is necessary to have parking close to the RiverCommon. Parking which would also be in proximity to some of the downtown businesses, thereby attracting custom to the city. And a couple of others have fought against the idea. As sad as it may be, the Sterling was left by incompetents to deteriorate. (And you will never convince me there wasn't motive behind that) But it is gone, or will be, and there is no chance that it will recover. If the revitalization of the city is to continue, attention must be paid to the need for parking. Parking in relative proximity to their destination.
So build the Reading Terminal knock-off, and some coal souvenir shops on the upper level, and a parking garage rising to the sky to symbolize the Phoenix (W-B) rising from the ashes (coal ashes, of course). There might just be a way to make everybody happy. Well, almost everybody.
Perhaps the people of the city could get together and decide that patronage for some is not as important as the common good and vote out the "idiots in charge".
(I was going for the SteelCityRising award for verbosity, but I fell short)
My vision of the Reading Terminal type market would feature the actual marketplace being the ground level of a parkade that rises above and will serve a dual purpose as the parkade for the actual urban market and also as the main parkade for the river Common. It could even feature a pedestrian bridge that from the parkade, over River Street and exits across the street at the River Common. A lot of people complain about close proximity parking here, but go to New York City, go to Philly, go to Baltimore, Atlantic City boardwalk...What do you do? You park your car, and than walk to everything. People in larger cities walk to get everywhere. W-b is a small city with a small walkable downtown. What is the big deal if you have to walk a block or two to get to your destination? Actually, come to think of it, there is nowhere in the downtown that isn't served by a parkade within one or two blocks of everywhere down there, even The River Common is fairly close to the parkade by the Ramada..only 2 blocks! Convenient parking is a nice feature, but should not be a make or break type scenario. I constantly walk downtown from my home in Northend, and than walk too and from Boscov's, The River Common, Movie theater, restaurants etc.. I actually enjoy strolling around...more to see more places to go. Why put a parking lot where the Sterling was, if the River Common does not feature or host any events anyway? What is the point?
Last edited by W-B proud; 05-20-2012 at 08:09 AM..
My vision of the Reading Terminal type market would feature the actual marketplace being the ground level of a parkade that rises above and will serve a dual purpose as the parkade for the actual urban market and also as the main parkade for the river Common. It could even feature a pedestrian bridge that from the parkade, over River Street and exits across the street at the River Common. A lot of people complain about close proximity parking here, but go to New York City, go to Philly, go to Baltimore, Atlantic City boardwalk...What do you do? You park your car, and than walk to everything. People in larger cities walk to get everywhere. W-b is a small city with a small walkable downtown. What is the big deal if you have to walk a block or two to get to your destination? Actually, come to think of it, there is nowhere in the downtown that isn't served by a parkade within one or two blocks of everywhere down there, even The River Common is fairly close to the parkade by the Ramada..only 2 blocks! Convenient parking is a nice feature, but should not be a make or break type scenario. I constantly walk downtown from my home in Northend, and than walk too and from Boscov's, The River Common, Movie theater, restaurants etc.. I actually enjoy strolling around...more to see more places to go. Why put a parking lot where the Sterling was, if the River Common does not feature or host any events anyway? What is the point?
Once again, the words are not reflective of the proposal of just about everyone here, unless you are using them interchangeably with Parkade/Parking Garage/Parking Tower/High-Rise Parking.
If your vision of a market on the ground floor becomes a reality, would the parkade atop same only be available for use by the market shoppers?
You are looking at the parking situation from an extremely insular POV. Not everybody lives in North End. Not every body can walk any distance. (Why do I get the feeling that we've had this conversation before?)
If there was easy access to the RiverCommon, is it possible that the "idiots in charge" might realize that more folks would be likely to go there and arrange more events? Or if the election sweep puts a whole new group of IOC's, might they be persuaded to schedule some events? Hope springs eternal...
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All last summer the fountain sat bone dry because they would have to pay someone overtime to test the water there twice a day! We built a $34 million dollar Riverfront park, and they cannot pony up maybe $20 dollars a day to have someone take water samples?! Are you freaking kidding me?!
So now, the River Common is virtually empty during the summer heat because it is a massive slab of scorching hot concrete. The fountain would attract hundreds of families with kids all summer long, but the idiots in charge will not do anything to get the fountain (which probably cost at least a few million dollar itself) up and running! The Fine Arts Fiesta was just happening, the fountain would be a welcoming symbol of rebirth as visitors enter the city, but no, there it sits as it did since they built the River Common, bone dry and empty.
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