Downtown Laconia Urban Renewal 2020

[Major]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

I was born and raised in Laconia and would love to see it revitalized.
Unfortunately the original urban renewal project ruined the city.
If they had planned the project around a Riverwalk from Church st to Main with business' and higher end housing on both sides of the river as well as revitalizing the original Main st such as Newport did, I think it would have succeeded.
Building more housing and facilities for drug rehab may be socially conscious but doesn't do much to attract business and shopping to downtown.
I loved the old Colonial theater but I can't ever see it as a financial success.
Laconia is a ghost town on weekends.

I too was raised in Laconia. Thanks for mentioning the drug rehab businesses. The drug rehab approach has not helped.

[jetskier]

Hi all,

When the day is done, economic revitalization of downtown relies upon the ability to economically upgrade the city in a broader sense. I grew up in Lowell, a blue collar mill town with similar problems.

1. The value of the property needs to increase to push less desirable elements out and create a catalyst for investment. That requires an influx of higher paying jobs and broad economic revitalization.

This means bringing in business that creates a forklift to the broad economy. The Colonial Theater (if ever renovated) will not create a significant number of high paying jobs. The extension to the WOW trail will not create a significant number of high paying jobs.

Laconia does not have any significant tech economy or academic economy...both have created a catalyst for urban renewal in Boston, Lowell etc... A focus on university affiliations and outreach to the technical community would be good starting points. A startup ecosystem would be a great addition.

Laconia would be a wonderful place to live and work if the economic climate could be improved. Unfortunately, the current thinking is that "if you build it, they will come". Good in the movies...here, the issues are more deeply rooted.

Just my 2 cents.

Jetskier

[AC2717]

personally, just like the old Meredith center which is still the Meredith center with the focus of commerce outside the center of town,

Laconia should stick to keeping the town hall there, and other city items, and hopefully the rest of the land would be sold off for residential, preferably not section 8. A downtown Laconia is not needed

I to applaud your efforts and passion, but like things stated above, unless the infastructure changes, economic reasons come into play, and jobs, anything done would be a waste, it is so depressing driving into laconia from all directions, with the run down tenement homes, closed businesses, terrible roads, and trash every where and the shady people. Only way that is somewhat enjoyable is from 106 and you drive by a prison.

I do not see that changing road directions, benches, trees, and the garage, along with the Colonial theatre renovation, although cool, but will be a labor of love and a huge loss of money, and these things have been tried and tried and tried again all over the place and a couple times in Laconia as well.

Are there any business folk out there willing to buy up the land and property and start over??? I personal do not have the capital nor the ROI wait time to do it

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by jetskier

Hi all,

1. The value of the property needs to increase to push less desirable elements out and create a catalyst for investment. That requires an influx of higher paying jobs and broad economic revitalization.

Jet-skier

You struck a note with number 1...
Not that it would ever happen with Laconia, but this is exactly, what has happened to big cities like SF and LA not to mention others.
Extremely expensive housing has been the cause of the decline of these places.
Homelessness is rampant along with open drug use.
The “starter kit” of this scenario is already present in Laconia...a push in this direction might be the cause of fostering more of what the big cities have become? Just my opinion of course.