About a million years ago (okay, maybe it was only a thousand), I worked for KHQ News. It had just moved to the studio downtown and staff was known to frequent the Little Nickel tavern directly across the street and the Coach House restaurant about a block down (the morning crew would get breakfast there on a regular basis). Soon after, the building those businesses were in was purchased and the businesses closed for “revitalization.” Probably 15 years later, no new businesses have opened up there and the building has not been refurbished.
Today, the former site of Far West Billiards also sits empty, as does the Tradewinds Motel and several other businesses on that end of downtown. Even so, the Spokane Rising blog is asking if you’ve noticed signs of revitalization in that end of downtown?
The blog posts points to several new projects in the works, including a condo tower in Peaceful Valley, lofts, a brewery incubator, a hotel and restaurant. Check it out at the link above to see what businesses you could be frequenting in the future.
What does this have to do with transportation? Along with revitalization comes the issues of getting people to and from new businesses, parking, etc.