I see a long veiw. Where for the next 10 years you will have version 2. Eventually energy demands ( increase in costs) and water scarcity (along with recycling water) will necessitate a re entrenchment to the cities, thus density, thus version 3. I think you will not get anchor stores in riverside. However you will see a good portion of the CBD giving over to 3 story buildings ( I'd recommend a good portion going toward affordable senior housing) with retail below. Limiting the large building to the cbd ( hopefully getting some unique designs along the way) will in no way be chipping away at the Olmstead's legacy as he had NO PLANS for the CBD. If you look at the original developemnet map of riverside the, CBD is a large blank square. The additional density in the cbd along with the costs of transportation limiting long distance travel for shopping will, in my estimation, make business's in Riverside more viable. This especially since we are on a rail line and we may see a resurgance of rail traffic to and from other rail towns. Like I said. A long veiw, 10 to 30 years out.
Riverside Info » About Riverside
Isolationism - Pros and Cons
(17 posts)-
Posted Monday Aug 31, 2009 16:47 #
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To debate the issue you have to frame it. We have accepted federal money for Addison, Quincy, Forest, Burlington, and Woodside. These roads have to remain open to general traffic because we have agreed to their designation. There are two bridges owned by the state and county respectively. If we close the Village, we "buy" these bridges. Any talk of a gated Village is silly. It is not financially nor legally feasible. The discussion might be more fruiful if it focused on "what do we want to look like?" Eric is the only person posting who has had a vision..smaller scale housing for empty nesters..and has put his money where his mouth is. Listen to Eric. He has vision. His spelling could use some work though.
Posted Monday Aug 31, 2009 17:06 # -
Fred....
Read JohnM's earlier entry...he mapped it out quite well. And why must certain individuals comment/remark on spelling and grammar?Posted Monday Aug 31, 2009 17:31 # -
Just a good natured gibe. We grew up together. Eric makes some excellent points. He saw a true need for supplying something for a neglected demographic and attempted to do something about it. After you've been here for a couple more decades you will understand. But really, if you don't get Olmsted's name right you have to take some grief.
Posted Monday Aug 31, 2009 19:56 # -
Ouch! Hey at least I spelled it right as in "homestead". Where's spell check when you need it? Anyway, I recall the workshop the village had in conjunction with a CBD TIF and various design plans for Riverside's downtown. Quite a few had some very innovative ideas. I hope records of them where kept on file. EOM
Posted Monday Aug 31, 2009 22:26 # -
Luckily, the children of D96 have received their free laptop and are learning how to use spell check! No need to know how to spell anymore!
Posted Monday Aug 31, 2009 23:21 # -
I'm curious about Eric's assumption that 3 is destined, and in particular about this sentiment:
CBD giving over to 3 story buildings...in no way be chipping away at the Olmstead's legacy as he had NO PLANS for the CBD
Really? Making the CBD like the city all around Riverside is *not* chipping away at the vision?
This is where I have a hard time with the folks on the 2.5 side of things. The reason I moved here was to avoid the feel of the city. We could have just as easily choosen Oak Park, LaGrange, etc, but choose Riverside for it's sense of calm in the middle of a concrete jungle.
Quotes about Olmsted:
....Leisure, comntemplativeness and happy tranquility...the town feels as if it were meant for people who never have to hurry...
He felt that the well planned suburb, not the cities of the day, was the place where one could find "most attractive, most refined, most wholesome form of domestic life". In Riverside, he set out to create a new community that would illustrate his ideas of "harmonious cooperation of men in a community and the intimate relationship and constant intercourse and interdependance between families".
Olmsted visited the site and prepared the Preliminary Report for Riverside. He states, "the city (Chicago) as yet has no true suburb in which rural and urban advantages are agreeably combined".
a rural self contained community providing all the civilizing advantages found in the city at that time within a rural country-like atmosphere.
Which brings me back to where I started: Can we envision a business model for a successful CBD that is *not* reliant on high volume?
I'm not in real estate, so I don't know how rental/lease rates match up to costs.
I'm not a small business owner, so I don't know what can survive (sales-costs).But I am disappointed that big, bigger, biggest is the dominant thinking. What ever happened to modest?
Ya know, I've always thought of myself as a realist...but I'm beginning to wonder if I've shifted camps or if 'greed begets greed' is driving real estate to kill small business.
Posted Tuesday Sep 1, 2009 10:17 #
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