RICHMOND – With news that downtown Richmond's largest retailer will close by mid-summer, some local business owners this past week expressed frustration over the lack of a clear plan from city government for the immediate future of the downtown corridor.
City leaders met Friday morning with representatives of nearly two dozen downtown-area businesses and organizations to discuss the status of ongoing roadwork and landscaping projects, as well as to address issues related to zoning of certain proposed projects, but did not explicitly address the exodus of several businesses from the area in recent months and years, as well as the continued negative impact on businesses of the ongoing roadwork.
The meeting at the Innovation Center, 814 E. Main St., for the Downtown Business Group came two days after it was learned that Elder-Beerman's parent company was shuttering its stores in Richmond and elsewhere, but other than to say plans are in the works and the city was open to suggestions and comments, no plan for the downtown's future was introduced.
Jack Cruse, director of Infrastructure & Development, said the city does, in fact, have a plan in the works for downtown, but it is still in the early stages of development and won't be ready for several months, if not longer.
Along with discussion about those plans, which appear likely to include updates to zoning rules and ordinances throughout the downtown, he offered words of encouragement to the business owners.
He did not, however, offer any immediate solutions for stopping the exodus of downtown businesses during the meeting.