HOW WE SEE IT: Leaders Eye Springdale’s Downtown

Every town eventually witnesses a once heralded part of its fabric become stained with closed storefronts, dilapidated buildings and a loss of the identity that once drew people for commerce and community.

It is, in a sense, progress, as new developments elsewhere fit the ever-changing expectations and demands of the town’s residents. Among the most challenging jobs advocates for a run-down area can take on is recapturing the magic of what once was.

It is no easy job to revitalize, to breathe new life into an ailing landscape. That is why so many towns end up with eyesores that feel like albatrosses around the neck of whatever potential remains.

People in the towns of Northwest Arkansas have all struggled and worked hard to renew sections of their communities.

In Rogers, the removal of wooden awnings, the rediscovery of brick streets and renovation of historic buildings have helped. In Fayetteville,the advent of the Walton Arts Center and the renovations to the downtown square helped bring downtown back. In Bentonville, the opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is making downtown a new creation.

Springdale has its albatrosses, but it’s also got great potential in its downtown area along Emma Street.

It was quite sad to see recent news reports that city officials had to tag two Emma Street buildings as unsafe. The building that once housed the Apollo Theater and the site of the former Jeff D. Brown Co. once played a vital role in the life of the community, but no more. The big “X” marked on the structures means if they catch fire, the city’s firefighters will only fight the blaze from outside;

doing so from the inside is too risky, the city says.

These are among the many signs that Springdale needs to take proactive steps to revive the downtown area. The good news is, Springdale is.

Downtown Springdale is a grassroots organization working to give its namesake a renewed lease on life. It hired Alta Planning and Design to create a redevelopment plan for the area. The group presented ideas to the public during a January presentation, a few months after a brainstorming session gathered feedback from people about what Springdale’s downtown might become. A downtown master plan is expected to be complete later this year.

Such plans are a critical part of revitalization.

Local government can develop a funding plan and its own plan of investment when it has a clear idea of a direction. And it will no doubt require a big public investment to turn the downtown area around.

Likewise, no revitalization effort can be successful unless the owners of private property buy into the concept. That will mean investing money in properties that don’t have the finest track records of success in the last few years, or decades.

Economic vitality will not return unless there is true collaboration between the public, through its city government, and if private property owners in the area. They must work hand in hand. True progress cannot be made by government alone, nor by private enterprise.

Springdale’s downtown vision - tapping into the waters of Spring Creek and creating open, public spaces - look promising. But all the planning in the world will be for naught if private business owners do not get on board and become advocates for the changes themselves.

With hard work and vision, the story of downtown Springdale can be less about shuttering vacant buildings and more about dealing with parking problems experienced by people wanting to be there.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 02/12/2013

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