A Major Boost for Downtown

Driving around Downtown Lynchburg even on a dead-of-winter, albeit warm, day, it’s easy to see the vitality and energy that’s pulsating from what once was regarded as an economic deadzone.

From the newly renovated Old City Courthouse on historic Court Street to the many restaurants and shops from 13th and Main streets all the way down to Fifth Street, it’s hard to dispute that downtown is well on its way back.

Tuesday, City Council decided to give a major boost to downtown revitalization efforts when it put the second and third phases of Lower Bluffwalk on the fast track for construction.

At the urging of Councilman Randy Nelson, council voted to allocate $5 million to the construction work. It will consist of construction of a series of pedestrian promenades, plazas and so-called “pocket parks” in the area between Commerce and Jefferson streets. When coupled with access to the James River from Jefferson Street and the Riverfront Park, the ultimate result will be the transformation of the area into destination unto itself.

Nelson and the five council members who supported fast-tracking Lower Bluffwalk believe quite strongly that this public infrastructure investment will spur private investment in an up-until-now somewhat desolate corner of downtown.

As Nelson said to council Tuesday, private developers are lined up, waiting to begin their own projects as soon as the city’s portion was completed. The preliminary schedule is to put the work out to bid as early as June; with contractors hungry for work right now, it’s entirely conceivable that the final bids could come in well to the advantage of taxpayers. If all goes well, 18 months from then, we’ll see a new Lower Bluffwalk in all its glory.

There always will be critics of downtown revitalization efforts, folks who say the city is just throwing good money down a rat hole.

Indeed, the only dissenting vote came from Councilman Jeff Helgeson, who has opposed downtown rejuvenation efforts from the start. There are also critics who always bring up the city’s investment in the Craddock-Terry Hotel, which has yet to pay off in real dollars to the city.

For the record, we are — and will be — skeptical of public dollars going toward private commercial projects, but we can’t dispute the development that has popped up in the hotel’s vicinity.

A good way to look at the city’s downtown efforts is to view them — especially the three phases of Lower Bluffwalk — almost as an urban business/industrial park, something local governments develop all the time to attract private development.

When all is said and done, the fast-tracking of the final phases of Lower Bluffwalk are a game changer for Downtown Lynchburg. Two years from now, when the work is done and private enterprise is taking root, will be the dawning of a new day for the city. We can’t wait to see the new, Old Lynchburg.