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Permalink Reply by Christina hates drama.... on June 4, 2008 at 10:42pm

I guess it never hurts to try something new eh? I guess we will have to wait until October when they reevaluate it to find out if it was worth it. From a business point of view, something needs to be done to bring downtown back to downtown instead of out around Walmart. There are a couple issues I won't go into about it here because I am a little biased and I don't want to tick anyone off.

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Permalink Reply by Rob Alway on June 5, 2008 at 12:14am

It has been proven that pedestrian friendly downtowns are successful downtowns. Take a look at Grand Haven, Holland and Traverse City. These downtowns are very walkable. They have wide sidewalks and narrow streets. They have plazas. Ludington has a wide five lane highway running through downtown, narrow sidewalks and up until this summer a very not-so-pedestrian friendly plaza. It is a great idea and hopefully just the first step. Now, if they would take down that ugly "Road Closed" sign.

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Permalink Reply by jenny kay on June 6, 2008 at 12:27am

i agree that the "ROAD CLOSED" sign needs to go. can't we put up some nice potted trees or shrubs to clearly mark the entrance as blocked? is the city bringing in tables and chairs for their "plaza"? or are bones and butts and the plaza cafe responsible for that? it definately needs something... right now it doesn't look like a place i'd like to hang out at... but hopefully this is only the beginning to something big! i think it's a great idea, i just hope it's used to it's full potential!

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Permalink Reply by Diann Neil Engblade on June 5, 2008 at 8:21am

Closing off James Street is a minor inconvenience and I'm not sure about it either. But, I also agree that it is worth trying--and could add to the ambiance of the downtown area. A "pedestrian-friendly plaza" might attract more people and will definitely give people a comfortable place to linger while they are downtown.

Another "pedestrian-friendly" area could be constructed on the old bowling area site if that building were demolished and, of course, if the city were to purchase the property.

I really do not want Ludington Avenue turned into a boulevard or otherwise changed, including the end of it at the beach. It's fine and beautiful the way that it is.

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Permalink Reply by Shoreline Media, Inc. on June 5, 2008 at 9:20am

I have to mention that I was in Frankfort on Wednesday and they have about the same with of a street downtown and only have two lanes of traffic. Now I realize that they probably have about a tenth of the traffic and no stoplights. But it did seem a lot more friendly. The downtown lanes here are too narrow and the stoplights are horrendously out of sync for both drivers and walkers. The City should have taken MDOT to task for completely messing up that situation. As far as James Street goes, who knows...

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Permalink Reply by John Hilborn on June 5, 2008 at 2:51pm

Only time will tell if this is going to be beneficial. It's worth a try. However, it will be interesting to see how all the tourist traffic will handle the closing of James street. It may encourage all of us to walk more which will help in the long run anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Diann Neil Engblade on June 6, 2008 at 8:16pm

Apparently the block where the bowling alley is being considered for a water park and/or hotel.

Why I appreciate that could bring more visitors to the downtown area, I really am hoping that another large building isn't going to be built along Ludington Avenue.

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Permalink Reply by Kara June Erickson on June 6, 2008 at 10:20pm

Oh my, let's hope that another big building will not be invading our beautiful downtown. I think a pedestrian friendly downtown would be great, but I don't see North James street being the answer. I think a "pedestrian friendly" place along South James street may be better, or the bowling alley area-definitely. What about the the bank area on the corner of Loomis and James? There isn't much on the North side of James Street past The Plaza Cafe.

When the news article said that the street was to be blocked off with flowers I wasn't exactly picturing the giant, 'cold,' concrete barrels and the big orange blockade. I don't think that draws in any pedestrians nor does it beautify the downtown area. What would be nice, if the concrete barrels had to stay, would be a round bench around those. Cute little circular sitting spots! I love the idea about the potted trees. And what about a small wall of bricks with some flowers on top? (to block off the road from the avenue). We could even have a sign on the wall, add some lights to shine on it- there ya go! The orange barrels and concrete flower holders just aren't doing it for me.

I think the focus from now on should be on our downtown area, not on the strip between Ludington and Scottville. Our downtown could be as cute as Pentwater's or Manistee's and we are getting there. I recently went into to Plaza Cafe and The Blue Moon- how great are those little places? Just wonderful atmospheres. While talking with friends, we couldn't believe we were in Ludington, we could have swore we were in Grand Rapids. Those cafes are a wonderful addition to Ludington and I hope that more small businesses are added to our downtown area.

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Permalink Reply by Rob Alway on June 7, 2008 at 12:03am

If Ludington is going to be successful it needs to look at what other communities are doing. In Scottville, we are working very hard to restore our downtown. It is not a fast process. We have come along way since the creation of the Main Street program a year ago. We chose to be part of a formula that has been proven to work across the country. That formula included converting our Downtown Development Authority into the Main Street board and hiring a full-time manager to manage the downtown area. The Main Street formula includes four core committees: Economic Restructuring, Design (addressing the look of downtown), Promotions and Organizational. The Main Street manager helps guide the program, but does not run the program. This is a proven strategy. It is not a government hand-out, though. Yet, Ludington choses to try to do it on its own rather than become a Main Street community. Our area is so close to becoming the next jewel of the lakeshore. We have a wonderful art center about to open, we have numerous art galleries, we have great natural resources. It's time Ludington take the steps to follow a formula that works. We have our nay sayers in Scottville but they are being silenced by the majority. Ludington needs to do the same.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Wagner on June 7, 2008 at 3:57pm

I'd love to have a more friendly downtown area. We take our kids and play "tourist" in our own town during the summer, but it can be scary to cross 5 lanes of traffic even with the crosswalks and lights. :-(

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Permalink Reply by i think i love you michigan on June 7, 2008 at 7:15pm

I agree that downtown needs to be more pedestrian friendly but that needs to be implemented on Ludington avenue. Holland is a perfect example of what good planning and vision can accomplish. It has more traffic than Ludington but they have adequate free parking available, small business incentives and a coherent aesthetic to the buildings. It's important to do this for us, the people who live here, rather than for tourists. I'm not sure if the James street thing will work unless it's a part of a larger vision. Right now, it's such a dead zone. Maybe if there were a viable business in the old Harbor Pharmacy building and the building were revamped, it might make the area more appealing. I'm not sure many people in Ludington are very open to this kind of change though.

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