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Written by PI Editorial Staff
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Friday, 03 October 2008 |
Downtown: Where all the lights are bright?
The popular song from the ’60s by British pop star Petula Clark talked about “Downtown” as an exciting destination. Everyone feels better by simply going — you guessed it — downtown.
One refrain repeats, “You’re gonna be all right, now.”
Well, as hopeful as that seems, Patterson has only begun to create a downtown that will live up to those promises.
With the opening of what could be considered an anchor store — at least relative to everything else currently in the downtown — Patterson Family Pharmacy is the first step in the right direction. And there’s more to come:
- The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department substation will open up on the same side of Del Puerto Avenue, just one store away from the pharmacy.
- Remodeling on the True Value building has begun on North Third Street. We don’t yet have specific information on what will go there, but we are told it will be mixed use, which sounds promising.
- A new retail clothing store on North Salado Avenue will open soon, and another recently opened on South El Circulo.
- A new beauty salon is in the works on South Third Street.
- The Frontier Club, on South Third Street, should open soon under new ownership, with extensive remodeling and modernizing.
- The City Council decided Tuesday to approve the downtown’s first music festival.
History shows that with growth — especially when the growth is near a freeway — a city’s older downtown usually deteriorates. Generally speaking, it can take up to 10 years before the restoration to those areas begins.
Our city has tried to keep that from happening by establishing a redevelopment agency. Fees are collected from developers, who are building in other areas around town, and are held for projects that benefit the downtown.
We are probably looking through rose-colored glasses at Patterson’s downtown, but we find it to be, potentially, one of the most charming little cities in the valley.
It’s understandable that, in these economically uncertain times, it will be tough to find people willing to start up new businesses. If the redevelopment agency could “give” money to new businesses as an incentive, that might encourage creative entrepreneurs to take a look at the downtown in a whole new way.
There’s been some renewed interest lately in restoring the downtown — bringing in businesses that cater to adults at night, making it a thriving, pulsing area of upbeat, hip shoppers thirsty for culture and an adult beverage.
This type of energy can be contagious. We hope it is.
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