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Originally Posted by JamieDavid Exchange
I do not agree with Stefano Grande. If downtown wants to revitalize with new residents and visitors who will be staying in surrounding hotels, downtown needs retail as an amenity for residents and an attraction for visitors. You cant expect people to trek out to the suburbs by bus or cab.
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Every area needs a group of pioneers to settle before retail and other amenities will move in. Once there are enough residents, then retail will follow.
Some claim that it is a chicken and egg scenario. However in this case, people can reside downtown for an indefinite amount of time without walkable amenities while businesses will generally fail without residents in the vicinity.
At the end of the day, residents need to come first. Then retail will grow on its own organically. You can't force retail businesses into an area. This is ultimately why Portage Place failed.