Posted by Will - Tue, Aug 21, 2007, 8:09 A

Loitering

blacksnake asks,

"do you want a downtown that brings business to Turners, or do you want a downtown that serves as a "social center" for various groups who could find other places to be social than on our downtown streets."

I vote for both. Having business downtown is important, but businesses are only one way to make the downtown a vibrant, social, welcoming place. A downtown that’s full of businesses but where people are discouraged from gathering and (yes) loitering would be a sterile, boring place. And a welcoming downtown is one where not all of us are necessarily going to like every type of person who spends time there.

Posters have commented favorably on Northampton. Northampton is appealing because of the social atmosphere. Businesses contribute to that social atmosphere, but "business" is not the sole reason people are drawn to Noho.