First part of Core City plan gets OK

BY VICKI KNOPFLER ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
vknopfler@hpe.com
Dec 16,2008

HIGH POINT - The High Point City Council unanimously passed Monday the first part of the Core City revitalization plan, the Washington Drive District Plan.

The plan, under formal study for almost a year, calls for creating an entertainment and historic mixed-use district based on the area's black heritage. The city's role is to provide infrastructure, including streetscaping, parks and parking, to create an attractive and pedestrian-friendly corridor.

An earlier version of the plan called for the city to be responsible for a museum focusing on John Coltrane, the internationally famous late jazz musician who lived in High Point from his infancy through graduation from William Penn High School.

The plan, as adopted Monday, places a Coltrane museum in the private sector.

All the public comments before the City Council's vote Monday were to support the Washington Drive plan.

Glenn Chavis of High Point, an historian, spoke passionately about identifying the area with Coltrane and other entertainers. Information about Coltrane that he has been unable to verify has been printed and otherwise disseminated, Chavis said.

The same is true of the Kilby Hotel and the musicians and famous people it supposedly attracted.

Chavis, however, has been able to document famous people and musicians performing at High Point Normal and Industrial School, which became William Penn High School.

"Use our history, but make it factual," Chavis said. "Show me the facts. Let our history stand on the facts. I'll be glad to work with you."

Chavis also was critical of consultants who researched the area and made recommendations for it. One consultant in

particular, Chavis said, came to High Point with preconceived notions, one of which placed Coltrane as the most important part of High Point's black history. In fact, Coltrane did little in High Point beyond attending church and school here and participating in choirs and bands at both, Chavis said.

"We don't need gimmicks to sell Washington Street history," Chavis said.

Theodore Little Jr., who lives on E. Washington Drive and is president of Washington Drive Renaissance, a nonprofit group, spoke of his group's efforts to buy the Kilby Hotel, restore it and bring entertainment there.

"We know the city doesn't have all the money to do it ... and we know it won't be easy. The Kilby will act as a catalyst to bring more business," Little said.

Pastors Kenneth Taylor, a member of New Beginnings Full Gospel Ministry, and Dennis Leach Sr. of First Baptist Church on Washington Drive also pledged support for the Washington Drive plan.

"Washington Drive has been passed by for years," Leach said. "I'm here hoping there's some Samaritan good will."

vknopfler@hpe.com

update on Washington Dr.

Council considers improvements: Washington Drive District Plan may get quick approval

By Nick G. Maheras
nmaheras@hpe.com
Dec 15,2008

HIGH POINT - High Point City Council will conduct a public hearing today on the Washington Drive District Plan, the first installment of the comprehensive Core City revitalization effort.

The City Council is likely to approve the Washington Drive District Plan after the public hearing. "Council has already affirmed their interest in passing this plan," said Councilman Bill Bencini, chairman of the Planning and Development Committee. "I enthusiastically support it. My guess is so does the rest of council.

"Its strength is that it is a comprehensive plan that can not only rehabilitate an historic neighborhood, but offer some downtown entertainment and restaurant possibilities."

The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the Washington Drive plan on Nov. 11. Bencini's committee followed suit Dec. 2.

The plan's central idea is to create an entertainment and historic mixed-use district based on the area's black cultural and musical heritage. Responsibility for a cultural museum focused on the legacy of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was shifted from the city to the private sector in the plan's final draft.

The plan designs a more attractive and pedestrian-friendly Washington Drive corridor with trees, decorative lampposts, widened sidewalks and streetside landscaping.

"The city's role would primarily be the infrastructure, including streetscaping, maybe a couple of parks or plazas and more on-street parking," said Andy Piper, senior planner. "(Recent zoning changes) are intended to promote the "new urbanism' design. We want to bring the buildings closer to the street, create glass storefronts and locate as much parking as we can behind the buildings."

Bencini hopes the plan's approval and infrastructure improvements will encourage private investment there. 

Morganton

We went to see Dana's parents last weekend. They live in Morganton which has been in the process of revitalizing their downtown. They went all out on the Christmas lights and even have horse and buggy rides during this Christmas season. The population is under 50,000. They had a successful free concerts on Friday last summer. Our demographics are too strong to not have similar events.

http://www.downtownmorganton.com/html/tgif.html

I have a contact with a Morganton Downtown representative. I'm trying to get some information about their 13 year plan and their success and failures.

Simon Jewelers

http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/4110785/

Winston Salem Art District Case Study

In the recent meeting, we discussed the possiblity of having live music and activities 6-8 times per summer. I wanted to share with you a successful case study on Winston Salems Art Warehouse District. If you have not experienced it, you should. It creates a great vision of "what if". They block the streets off the first friday of the month and have music and other entertainment. On their website http://www.dadaws.org/ they write:

Every month shops studios and galleries open their doors with new artwork and exhibits for First Friday Gallery Hops. These events are free and open to the public featuring extended shop hours from 7pm until 10pm throughout the year. The Gallery Hops attract hundreds of people to the many galleries, studios and shops that make up the Art District. The streets come alive with a festive atmosphere of visual art, music, entertainment and food to create a one-of-a-kind event in our community.

Agenda from recent meeting.
North Main Street/Lexington Avenue

Current Condition: Because of the prevalence of showroom development in High Point’s downtown, the North Main Street corridor has evolved into a “de facto” downtown in the sense that the area is the location that many citizens frequent for the same goods and services that they used to find downtown. In effect, North Main Street has become an alternative to downtown.

Goal: To encourage development and reinforce the existing businesses along North Main Street (centered at Lexington Avenue) to provide the community with a retail, dining, and entertainment destination.

Advantages:

1. Proximity of Commercial Development along North Main/Lexington to established and prosperous residential neighborhoods within a five-minute walk from the east and west.
2. Existing urban design of many existing buildings is advantageous to creation of a pedestrian-friendly commercial area.
3. Current mixture of retail stores, restaurants and bars could produce an evening dining, shopping, and entertainment environment.
4. Great potential for future commercial/residential/mixed-use development

Disadvantages:

1. Depth of lots along much of the North Main Corridor.
2. Lack of on-street parking
3. Five lanes of traffic along North Main Street
4. No coordination/organization of business and marketing efforts
5. No “area identity.”
6. Lack of pedestrian-friendly amenities (benches, well-defined crosswalks, crossing lights, streetscaping, etc.)

Plan: To accomplish the Goal by:

1. Developing a marketable “identity” for the North Main/Lexington area as “Uptown” – a retail, dining and entertainment destination.
2. Fostering development of Uptown as a pedestrian-friendly, safe, and walkable shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
3. Encouraging the development of higher-density mixed-use development at North Main and Lexington Avenue.
4. Creation of an “Uptown Association” that can organize and market the Uptown area through the use of centralized management techniques, such as:

a. Coordination of days and hours of operation
b. Development of an Uptown logo and signage
c. Joint advertising
d. Organization of Special Events and sales promotions
e. Pursuit of business retention, expansion and recruitment.

Meeting 12/3/08

We had a good meeting yesterday. It was good to bounce ideas and also create a team that was much needed for common dreams to come true. I put this blog together so that we can easily communicate and also get others interested in this project. For now, I called it Center Town and we can easily change it or keep it if we decide that it is the best fit for our much needed identity. I didn't get Grey's contact info. Have fun today.