Definitely -this to me is the guts of the issue with AP's revitalization and the rebuilding of the downtown area.
Right now, AP is all about food and nightlife - primarily restaurants and bars. There are a few specialty businesses - some that have carved out a successful niche for themselves - but retail for the masses/mainstream is non-existent. And despite the triCity's constant preaching about "suburban conformity" and the coolness factor we have in attracting the Brooklyn crowds, for this city to truly grow we need a more active effort at attracting significant businesses that draw from a wider demographic and that can exist profitably. I'm not ready to embrace a GAP or Banana Republic Store (especially with the outlet mall a short drive away and both Monmouth and Freehold Malls maintaining a significant presence in chain stores), but we need a business model that includes retail stores that provide that destination experience. We also need to marry the "best interests" of Madison Marquette which is truly only concerned with leasing retail space on the boardwalk and building more condos/townhouses with the needs of the downtown businesses..... There are a number of towns and communities in NJ that have created vibrant downtowns that act as destinations (Montclair, Westfield, Westwood, and Madison-Chatham as well as Princeton and Lambertville). Make this an attractive destination and parking will stop being such a major concern. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: asburypark-dig...@yahoogroups.com asburypark-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: asburypark-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/