Random photo taken in the 300 block of North Main St. on July 6, 2018 CREDIT GINA LONG/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE
By Gina Long
I have spent a lot of time downtown in the last couple of years, participating in and reporting on peoples, places and events.
The Downtown Hutch Master Plan unveiled almost a year ago surprised me (view the plan here). Adding a bike lane along Walnut, better lighting, and bringing back some of the iconic downtown business neon signs for display are grand visions. The goals will not be reached overnight, but following the progress will be fascinating.
I love being able to park in a city lot less than a block off Main St., walk and shop, grab lunch or dinner, and attend a show or movie at the Fox Theater, Stage 9 or the Family Community Theatre at the Flag. It is good exercise, and unless the weather is really nasty, I try to park and walk at least a block.
Two weeks ago, Michael and I furiously raced from Avenue B to DCI Park and back while covering the second annual Light Up Hutch Christmas parade.
The master plan marks a fundamental shift in shopping, entertainment and building patterns since the arrival of the Hutchinson, now called Uptown Hutch, in the mid-1980s.
The Mall area is not well-suited for walking; Walmart and Home Depot have huge parking lots with fast-moving traffic, and I am not a fan of “stop and shop here, move the car an eighth of a mile, and stop and shop again,” but I am also not a fan of playing open-air Frogger.
I was dismayed that the master plan ended at Avenue D instead of extending to the entrance of Carey Park. South Main needs good lighting, more attention and grant funding to rehabilitate many buildings. It lies within a historic area that deserves just as much attention as Avenue D to the plan’s northern boundary at 7th Ave. The excellent El Patio restaurant, owned and operated by Victor and Martha Pena, is destination dining. Numerous other auto body and parts, upholstery and construction firms, and the venerable Gray’s Barber Shop fill many remaining buildings. They deserve inclusion in the master plan, too.
The Downtown Hutch Master Plan has a website with an option to add yourself to the email updates list to stay informed. It also has a contact option for asking questions and voicing your opinion.
