How’s this for a statement of vision?
The “new” downtown New Albany will be a place people recognize as a focus of important community activities and as a destination for business, dining, shopping, and recreation. Its buildings will be attractive and clean with emphasis on the historical resources of downtown. The downtown will have a strong residential component. People will be able to move easily by motorized and non-motorized means through the area. Downtown will be a gathering place for many purposes and it will be recognized regionally as a vital element in the Louisville metropolitan area.
Very impressive, we'd say. You’ll find it on page 36 (of 47) in an exciting work of fiction that NA Confidential has been reading this evening.
It’s called “New Albany Downtown Development Plan,” compiled in 1999 and 2000, and submitted to the New Albany Redevelopment Commission, Develop New Albany and the New Albany Housing Authority in December, 2000, by the undoubtedly well-remunerated authors at the Corradino Group, McKenna Associates and Indiana University Southeast.
The plan includes charts, maps, tables and diagrams. The sections, as numbered in the original, are as follows.
1. Introduction
2. Downtown New Albany
3. Economic Analysis
4. Demographics
5. Downtown Elements
6. Coordination with Other Projects
7. Vision, Goals and Objectives
8. Development Strategies
9. Implementation
Unfortunately, pages 49 through 51 of “Implementation,” comprising “organization,” “schedule” and “funding,” have not been included in the copy provided us by Develop New Albany.
New Albany's five-year plan (that’s right, five years -- just like the five-year plans in Eastern Europe during Communist times) is stunning, comprehensive and exciting, its epic scope and encyclopedic references amazing, and its vision impeccable. Nothing at all is omitted, it’s all there in black and white, and everyone’s in the tent.
From A to Z, New Albany is transformed, timetables drawn, schedules enacted, and a veritable utopia becomes visible right here on the banks of the Ohio.
Of course, looking at the plan dispassionately, it would appear that no more than 10% of the material therein has received any measure of useful attention in the five years since it was released.
Accountability? No, there's no section dealing with that. Sorry.
NA Confidential is aware that dozens of factors have been involved in the colossal disconnect between the visions of a paper plan and the reality of a bricks and mortar world, and most of them have to do with money.
However, some don't.
If this plan is what Develop New Albany is in the “business” of achieving, and if what we see today is the best that DNA has been able to do in five years, then shouldn’t we be re-examining DNA?
Page 46, Project Bank plan #31: Develop downtown trolley to connect various generators and destination points in downtown, status "preferred, scheduled to start the project in year 2 (2002), estimated yearly cost $180,000, and responsible entities the city and TARC.
ReplyDeleteSee, it's right there in the plan. As for me, I'm hopping on the Main Street line to get a coffee down at Main Street Grind ... wait, they're still not open on Sunday.
The plan does call for coffee shops, though.
Tim, DNA's likely response to this is that the organization can only do what its support permits. Do you think that's the case, or is there more of a systemic problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there any sort of review process for DNA-like structures, any accounability?
Finally, Tim "Yes Roger, I agree" Deatrick comes through with credible data. Thanks for getting that online. Now, how about some links?
ReplyDeleteLooks like we start looking for a candidate who wishes to have these ideas for downtown as his campaign platform. Got any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the endorsement, Tim. I'm really flattered but other commitments prevent from running for office in the next election.
ReplyDeleteWell, she'd have to find a way to mobilize the bitterly divided party to oust the incumbent Mayor in the primary, and then ... oh, wait ... I see.
ReplyDeleteShe's a Republican?
Hmm, yeah, saw those Bush/Cheney stickers on her vehicle.
(Grimacing) That's too bad.
Perhaps an independent bid, eh? Remember when Phyllis Garmon split the anti-England vote and doomed good ol' Kenny Keilman back in the early 90's?
Right - that wouldn't work, either, at least if you're a Republican.
While NA Confidential takes no official position on Tim's suggestion, as we're wary of being used for partisan purposes, permit this in closing.
What we really need in New Albany is to revive the Know Nothing party, but that, too, represents a conundrum.
There are so many of them extant that a landslide is assured ... but would they know enough to make it to the polls?
Muir Manor is on Spring Street across from Central Christian Church.
ReplyDelete