Monday, December 12, 2011
Whither Downtown Matawan?
The Dollar Express store at 147 Main Street in Matawan is going out of business. This will be just one more vacancy for an already depressed downtown. It's truly bad times when a dollar store can't make it. Does the Borough Council actually have a plan to stop the bleeding? What's their greater vision for Main Street?
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Pat, Stop by the Council Meeting on Monday, December 19th at 7 PM. I will be in town to discuss Main Street and other ideas. Send me an email if you would like to discuss this further.
ReplyDeleteDavid
sandyhookbay@yahoo.com
There need to be some social hub businesses. A good coffee shop with ample seating could be a start. Some of the buildings also need some freshening up. It was sad that downtown Main Street was the most vacant portion of the Memorial Day parade last summer, but after passing some boarded up store fronts with pigeons crawling inside them, I could see why no one would want to frequent that area.
ReplyDeleteAttractive social hubs would do a lot to help turn the downtown around. There has to be a way to get people into town. Filling the empty storefronts would help, but if shopping downtown remains inconvenient, the new businesses will fold too. A better parking situation might help. Frankly, I'd move the post office distribution center out of the downtown. No sense having a large parking lot for postal vehicles right in the middle of town. I'd close Park and expand the library and make a shopping plaza with ample parking that crosses Little. I'd encourage the shops to have entrances front and back, like the Red Bank restaurants and bars near the big parking lot there. That would create a space for people to socialize that would be convenient. I get the impression that things just can't get done. Too bad.
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