Reader comments
Little luck raising contributions for Provo downtown

Provo just needs to finally realize that the "downtown" area is a blight. It is an ugly entrance to the city. Driving through it is horrible and not welcoming at all. They would be smart to condemn the whole area and start fresh.

...keep their OWN sidewalks clean, and make sure the area around them is hospitable to their business?

In Utah's pro-business, every-man-for-himself "personal responsibility" climate, it's mind-boggling to see Provo City think that businesses need contributions.

If the business is attractive and viable, I'll go in. But they can wash their own sidewalks, and clean up their own litter. It doesn't matter where it comes from -- like my own yard, it's MINE once it lands on my property.

The downtown area needs an anchor restaurant near the new Covey center. If Olive Garden or PF Chang's or another would commit to a three year lease on Center between 300 and 500 West, the area would grow and other businesses would come in. Provo - make somebody a deal!

Re: Why don't the businesses....

What you fail to understand is that virtually every successful downtown turnaround in this country has rested on an improvement district of this sort to manage things such as safety and cleanliness. Consider how effective or attractive a regional shopping mall (say, University Mall in Orem) would be if they had an arrangement where local merchants had to fend for themselves. This competitive advantage is one major reason why downtowns lagged behind in the first place, and places that have responded accordingly have reaped positive results.

While downtown Provo has had its share of struggles, abandoning its improvement district is simply conceding defeat. Of course, Provo's leadership is dysfunctional enough to believe this is entirely within the realm of possibility. Pity, as downtown Provo has great "bones" and could still do some great things in spite of itself...

Of course the businesses haven't donated any money to the Alliance. If the business owners were smart enough to invest in downtown, downtown probably wouldn't need the Alliance so badly.

Why has only $900 been donated? Have the Alliance's greatest supporters continued to pay the dues they paid before the City changed the funding?

the best solution to revitalizing downtown is tearing it all down. can't figure out why they built the covey center there. should have put it a block south to make room for widening center street. no one wants to be in downtown. the business owners don't even think it's worth it. downtown is hard to access and slow. Let people who need to get places just go without forcing them to visit the west side ghetto or the slummy center street alley. I know, let's rename the "historic downtown provo" area the "dark and dirty back alley of provo." maybe that will create more interest.

I thing they should put a head tax on all the city and county workers downtown to pay for this cleanup. After all they are the only ones that will enjoy it. I haven't been downtown Provo in over 10 years, and dont plan on comming.

I find it very interesting that our Provo City officials are disappointed with anything to do with downtown Provo. There has been extremely poor planning when it comes to anything to do with the future plans of Provo City's economic development. They continue to expand to the very limits of the city with crazy ideas (selling prime freeway property...dirt cheap!!). All of the downtown businesses and those existing in the East Bay area are already furious with the big plans to bring in Target????? Oh yes, I forgot that they will save the day. By the way, what happened to that stupid plan?