Of course I'm for it. I was going to propose it to the KRush admin way back before Fresh Express moved and Scott opened. When I saw him trying to get that Board to OK a couple outdoor tables Igave it to him instead. The original concept was to utilize three spaces in front of the Chew and Fresh Express (Grumpy's), meandering the sidewalk and curb outward (north) so as to provide for seating next to the building and a planter buffer inboard of the sidewalk. I thought a similar one-two space meander should go up in front of the Hot Dog emporium so as to provide bicycle relief and outdoor eating space there too. That space would view toward Centennial and Central school and could be very nice. It would also make the walk along this straight street much more interesting and help all these establishments.
I also looked at and measured one off on the other side of the street just west of the flower shop so as to provide similar "cafe" seating for the VC (with a view to the water tower, and likewise make that side of the street more interesting. With appropriate planters to screen patrons this could quickly transform what is a very uninteresting street scape into something faintly European. Doing all three meanders would result in seven spaces being utilized, but spread across a wider area of the CBD.
Personally, I have always thought the Water Department building in Centennial would make a great location for a rest/cafe with outside seating around it on the park side with a great view of central Riverside. Perhaps Rec could have been better located into the old youth center or the Arcade on the Quincy side. The building still has the service drive access which could be spruced up and doing this would provide a "town square" Riverside-sized spot for eating and imbibing (Pizza in the Park?). At that time hope was on the rise that a restaurant would go into the VC, the Arcade would be completed, and this would have given us a number of spots for small restaurants - which was what people said they wanted.
Contrary to the posts I've seen around, I think most/all the Board members favor this kind of thing. Spreading it out to benefit more potential sites would probably make all the non-eatery businesses benefit from increased foot traffic. I'm against speed bumps and fake water features.
Posted Wednesday Sep 2, 2009 17:21
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