| Show Report cites need for Main St St. ch change A report discussing the Bountiful business area was presented presented pre pre- r and studied by the Bountiful l planning commission during its regular meeting last Monday evening Prepared by I I. I Dale Dale- Despain Provo professional consulting consulting consulting con con- planner the report specifically covered possibilities and problems involved In the building of a shopping center in the 1500 South area I II I In his discussion Mr Despain makes a number of oil cog cog- eat ent comments on two points what would the effect of the shopping center be and what earl cart be done to improve the present business area I While the following is not the complete text of Mr Des Des- Despain's Despain's pains pain's report it is most of it and in his words PRESENT CONDITIONS It is observable that the commercial environment environment environment environ environ- ment of Bountiful's fuls ful's central shopping area has not kept pace with development generally generally generally gen gen- in the area qualitatively nor qu mt ta- ta When compared to conditions found a at integrated ed shopping centers Bountiful's Bountiful's Bountiful's fuls ful's central shopping area is inconvenient space is often lacking the selection of goods is limited and many of the buildings are antiquated ed and in a state of disrepair Moreover it is difficult to overcome the drawbacks in inherent inherent inherent in- in herent in commercial commercial commercial commer commer- cial development because of the mixture of existing land uses the presence of uses which are actually detrimental tal to toa a business climate and the distance of one shop from ano another her Added to the phy physical ical difficulties difficulties dif dif dif- of making the central central central cen cen- business area competitive with ne newly ne built shopping centers is the problem of multiple ownership and the difficulty of obtaining unified action on common problems Also the fact that some of the property owners appear not to realize that with the privilege of supplying goods and services to the public comes a corresponding responsibility responsibility responsibility re re- re- re to do so under progressively better conditions conditions condi condi- With all of the problems connected with the central business area why should the public be concerned with its continued economic well being ANALYSIS OF THE TilE PRO PROBLEM LEI I In answer to the above question it should first be recognized that a strong central central central cen cen- business district is to a city what a nucleus is to a living cell Without a healthy commercial or some ome area of common interest to all of the people a city breaks up into a series of ind ind individual in- in d i v i d u a l I neighborhoods When hen this happens citizens lose their sense of identity with a larger community and without a strong community spirit one of the greatest assets assets as as- sets which a city has to offer its people is lost Second almost equally qually im im- im- im in maintaining a com corn community community spirit is the health of the central business district If the community's central business area is plagued with obsolete buildings and ill- ill kept premises it becomes extremely extremely extremely ex ex- difficult for citizens to have pride in their com com- If are ashamed asham asham- ed cd of or must apologize to outsiders for the condition of their city's busin business ss district they lose interest in community community community affairs While it is not likely that the present central business district will ever disappear completely even under the most adverse conditions yet yetto yetto yetto to drain off or dissipate the volume of oP business which is necessary to keep a business area growing will cause the entire district to suffer Even with the rapidly increasing increasing increasing in in- creasing population it could not be expected that the central central central cen cen- district could maintain its present volume of business in inthe inthe inthe the event of the installation of the proposed shopping cen cen- ter It is almost a certainty that there would be a a significant significant significant signi signi- reduction in business for several years and it is possible that some of the existing existing existing ex ex- stores would be forced to close as asa a result of such a reduction j r It is s an axiom of e chan chan- that two stores side by side will always do more than See MAIN ST. ST on page G 6 |
