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Written by -- Editor Dave Paulson
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Thursday, 02 October 2008 |
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DOWNTOWN PRINCE GEORGETHIRD AVENUE
Four fires, four blots on the landscape, four more exclamation points for a downtown that has had more misses than hits for too long.
It takes about two minutes in traffic to drive by the four burned-out locations where downtown businesses once stood.
Northern Linen at Second and Victoria burned to the ground in November 2005.
B&B Music along with a coffee shop, barber shop and the Needle Exchange were destroyed in September '06.
The historic Caine Building, with its four businesses and an upstairs apartment at Second and Quebec, was gutted in May '07.
Finally, a spectacular fire at the infamous Columbus Hotel on Third Avenue in August tragically took three lives.
More than one local wag was heard to say firefighters should have dropped their hoses and let the entire block go.
Except for the Caine Building, the sites are empty holes in the ground surrounded by security fencing. For some reason the shell of the Caine Building still stands 17 months later.
They're ugly and they're glaring reminders of the decline that has haunted much of downtown.
Thankfully, B&B Music owner Jay Scholten, whose parents operated the store for decades, has issued a tender for construction of a two-storey replacement on the original site.
Let this be an inspiration for others.
The Northern Linen and Caine Building properties are privately owned but city taxpayers now hold title on the Columbus property after its owner defaulted on tax payments. If there's an interested buyer with a plan, city hall and taxpayers are all ears.
Interest in pulling downtown up by its bootstraps is gathering momentum. November's civic election promises to have a heavy downtown flavour that might produce incentives for new construction, so the time might be ripening for new niche business opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Caine Building remains an eyesore that should be brought down. City hall doesn't have a policy on how long a burned-out building can remain standing as long as it isn't a hazard, but it should in the interest of urging redevelopment and discouraging procrastination.
Four fires, four potential examples of urban renewal.
Like the mythical phoenix that rose from the ashes, the hope is downtown's rash of fires leads to rebirth on those sites.
-- Editor Dave Paulson
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 October 2008 )
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When a forest burns usually the first thing you see pop up is the fireweed. (Is that where the name comes from?) It would look nicer than big black holes.