Opinion: Young professionals wanted to shape downtown’s future

Perspective is powerful.

The Downtown Springfield Association celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall. The group’s founding members and their contemporaries from 1965 remember the tidal wave of suburban migration, the relentless debates on closing Park Central Square to vehicular traffic and the dark days of the late 1980s.

Today’s downtown leaders were part of Vision 20/20, helped create the Community Improvement District and recall with pride their first beer on the square. Those chapters of downtown’s rebirth are coming to a close, and a new generation will be called upon to shape the next 50 years.

A DSA reception for young professionals of The Network and Leadership Springfield provided a sneak peek into a new set of priorities. Roughly 100 attendees with an average age of 31 offered the following insights.

Sacred sociability
The group identified downtown’s top current strengths as food and drink (26 people), nightlife (20), live music (14), public spaces (13) and events/street festivals (nine).

Rather than technology turning millennials inward to their laptops and smartphones, social media is drawing them closer together. Sidewalk cafes, coffee shops, tasting rooms, intimate pubs and independent cinema are the places to be.

New needs
Retail was by far the top need to be addressed (24 people). The current shopping core is solid, but depth would offer options for broader demographics. The upcoming additions on Walnut Street of Lush at Bartique LLC's fashion and cocktails and Frolic Vintage's clothing will start the process of concentrating stores to be more pedestrian friendly.

Better dining (15) was second with a desire to have more ethnic and higher quality choices. The Great Recession led to the closing of some fine dining favorites and a proliferation of sports bars. The Jalili family's Black Sheep opening later this month will be a step in the right direction. Ethnic choices have been a hit at Artsfest, Cider Days and Taste of Springfield. Look for more distinctive options in the near future.

Higher quality green spaces (13) ranked third for desired places to read a book, dip a toe into the fountain and walk the dog. Greater densities of residents and office workers should drive utilization of public spaces as early as this spring.

More live music and arts options (11) tied for fourth.

Springfield is blessed with live music venues, such as Front of House (formerly Highlife), Outland Ballroom, Ernie Biggs, Gillioz Theatre, Shrine Mosque, Nathan P. Murphy’s and Springfield Brewing Co. However, several of these venues need new investment to make them more attractive. Lindberg’s recent additions of a strong menu and performances earlier in the evening are excellent examples of how establishments can find new ways to grow the customer base.

The downtown Campbell Avenue corridor has several arts stores. The addition of two or three complementary arts entrepreneurs would enhance the shopping experience on First Fridays and throughout the month.

An important note is that safety (seven) finished seventh on the list and parking (five) was ninth – a dramatic change from prior generations.

Preferred places
When asked for their favorite downtowns, many of the responses were predictable: Kansas City (11), Chicago (10), Austin (seven), Denver (five) and Columbia (four). Strong arts and culture scenes were a priority.

A regional downtown of note that did not make the list was St. Louis. Given the number of Cardinals fans in southwest Missouri, it will be important to examine its issues.

A few of the interesting midsize downtowns listed that could be more comparable to Springfield included Canton, Miss.; Franklin, Tenn.; Bozeman, Mont.; and Annapolis, Md.

These are preliminary results. DSA is eager to hear more feedback for downtown’s next 50 years. A digital survey is available between now and the end of December at ItsAllDowntown.com/next50. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Doubt that one person’s perspective can make a difference? Ten years ago, Craig Wagoner brought new lofts and a breakfast cafe to a dilapidated Seville Hotel. Five years ago, Bryan Simpson moved a T-shirt business from his garage to the Five Pound Apparel storefront on South Avenue. Within the past two years, Al Miller transformed a vacant auto window shop into The Old Glass Place.

Perspective transformed downtown over the past 50 years. Future opportunities abound for those with vision, perseverance and a spirit of collaboration.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.