Posted: 6:17 p.m. Friday, May 2, 2014

MIDDLETOWN

City needs strong vision to revitalizedowntown, officials say

ByAmanda Seitz

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — A long-term plan for Middletown will be vital to develop asuccessful downtown, create more jobs and lure tourists to the area, cityleaders said Friday.

Localleaders here are inspired by a recent trip to Greenville, S.C., a city where localstakeholders spent the last 35 years redeveloping its downtown and turning along-term vision of the city into a reality.

    Roughly80 residents, city officials and local business owners gathered Friday eveningat the Pendleton Art Center on Central Avenue in Middletown to share highlightsfrom their visit to the South Carolina city and brainstormideas for future development in Middletown.

    Atotal of 23 Middletown leaders and residentstraveled from April 21-23 to Greenville to understand how theSouthern city of 61,000 people became one of the fastest growing areas in thecountry, established a downtown dining mecca and lured in more than 1,700condominium and apartment units to the town.

    Planningwas key to execute such a turnaround of Greenville and will be importantas officials revitalize Middletown, said Calista Smith,the interim director of Middletown Moving Forward, a community improvementcorporation.

“Theyhad a long-term vision, a long-term vision,” Smith said. “When they saylong-term, we’re talking 30 years.”

    Smithsaid Greenville officials facedchallenges to create a well-visited downtown; city officials had to narrow downthe city’s main drag of streets from four lanes to two lanes in order to createa more walkable city, for example. Greenville also had to pay $6million in an eminent domain lawsuit, in order to gain the right-of-way for adevelopment project, Smith said.

“Theytype of challenges Greenville has faced, theylooked in them in the eye and said, ‘I’m not going to let you beat me,’” Smithsaid.

    Greenville officials also workedwith local business owners to create a cohesive looks for storefrontsthroughout the city and brokered deals with universities to develop newcampuses and programs that now churn out students educated in the automotive,health, science and business fields.

    Middletown will need investmentfrom the private sector as officials work to redevelop the city downtown butfirst, leaders need to develop a grand plan for economic development in thefuture, Smith said.

    Tokick off that planning, city leaders are launching a challenge called “What if Middletown?” to collect ideasfor city development. Residents can submit their idea for the city’s future ona website that will launch May 9. Smith said the city is also seeking inputfrom college students, who will be entered into a $1,000 scholarshipcompetition, sponsored by the Middletown Community Foundation, when they submitan idea.

    Smithsaid she wants to hear feedback from all of Middletown’s residents andbusiness owners to create a plan for the city’s future.

“Thisis just the start — we know it’s not the end,” Smith s aid. “We want you tostay engaged.”

Constructinga green space and pavilion between North Verity Parkway and Manchester Avenue was one of the firstideas discussed during Friday’s meeting. Smith unveiled a sketch for theproject, which illustrated a stone walkway between a grassy lawn.

    DeniseBrodsky, one of the owners of the Sorg Opera House in Middletown, said she wants tosee more green spaces in Middletown — eventually. First,she said, the city needs to focus on rehabilitating the city’s empty, downtownstorefronts and properties.

“Untilwe begin to rehabilitate and fill our vacant and blighted properties, to me,green space is not the priority,” Brodsky said.