ANDERSON – A group of business owners is working to revitalize the North Anderson Business Alliance to promote the area for future growth.
Lisa Singleton-Roberts, owner of the Toscana Event Center, is working to draw people back to the city’s north side.
“We started about a year ago,” Singleton-Roberts said prior to a NABA (North Anderson Business Alliance) meeting Thursday at LovEvents, which is opening in the former Elks building on Broadway.
“Basically we are trying to get the city to pay attention to north Anderson,” she said before the group’s second meeting. “We want the city to help remove blight and to attract new business.
“This is a group of people who have a stake in the game,” Singleton-Roberts said. “We’re investing in north Anderson.”
The goal of NABA is to get the community to speak with one voice and make some things happen, she said.
Singleton-Roberts said the group is looking for a store to anchor the area to complement the commitment made by Kmart and Marsh in the area.
A traffic study showed that 11,193 cars travel on Broadway north of Cross Street to Hartman Road on a daily basis.
“The biggest blight we have is the empty car lots,” she said.
The group is trying to bring back people from northern Madison County to shop in north Anderson instead of traveling to Muncie.
“We’re trying to carry on a legacy,” Singleton-Roberts said during the meeting. “This is more than a networking group; we are trying to change things in north Anderson.”
Concerns voiced by the attendees were the condition of Broadway and the abandoned buildings.
Singleton-Roberts said the city offers tax abatements as incentives to businesses locating in south Anderson.
“We need the same opportunities in north Anderson,” she said. “Why are we not offering incentives to businesses that want to stay in north Anderson?”
Several people said that north Anderson is a gateway into the city and the appearance should be improved.
Those in attendance were urged to look at the north Anderson area with “new eyes” to find problem areas and improvements that could be made.
“This used to be a thriving part of Anderson until south Anderson was developed,” Singleton-Roberts said.