“We need a plan that provides the means to get downtown attractions that will make people want to be down town. It is not the shape of the street, the number of benches or other landscape amenities, that attract people to a place, it is shopping and services. Take Lawrence for example, its streetscape is not much different than Topeka’s but the shopping and entertainment experience is substantially different. Minneapolis, MN has Nicolet Mall, a mile long or so downtown street that is closed to vehicle traffic. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Minnesota/Minneapolis-813712/Things_To_Do-Minneapolis-Nicollet_Mall-BR-1.html It has fountains, planters, trees, sculpture that enhances the area, but the reason people are there is because there is something there for people to do. At the minimum, Topeka Downtown needs a grocery store – Whole Foods Market for example located in the vicinity of the downtown water tower. We need a theater, perhaps a small art theater such as the Free State in Lawrence. We need an independent book store. We need art galleries. We need a toy store. We need live entertainment. We need a hotel. Downtown Topeka can be brutal in the winter, we need sky walks to get from parking garages to places of interest. We need a plan to get attractions to downtown, we don’t need a plan for another streetscape.”

Excerpt from the Capital District Project Facebook Fan Page. You can read more at: Discussion Board: Downtown needs more than a reconfigured street. Posted on May 18