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March 27, 2008
It’s here, the Zimmerman/Volk analysis of residential market potential
Click here to the read the report (1.9MB), which looks at the neighborhoods of Blandford, Halifax, Rome Street/Westview/Birdville, Battersea, and Downtown/Old Towne.
Standout detail #1 (from page 24):
“The largest general market segment is composed of younger households (younger singles and couples).”
Z/V suggest that the younger singles/couples comprise 48% of the potential market, to retirees’ 37%.
Rhetorical question: If developing the area’s tourism aims to draw the empty-nester crowd to town for a visit (as was pointedly made clear in a presentation at Union Station some time ago), what are we doing to draw the young professional crowd (for perhaps more than a mere visit)?
A lot of good information here.
Another standout:
“The proportion of higher-income households living in the city is projected to rise, with the
number of households with annual incomes of $100,000 or more projected to increase by
more than 28 percent between 2007 and 2012. It is anticipated that households headed by
persons aged 45 to 54 will achieve the largest absolute improvement in income ($4,155),
although households headed by persons aged 24 and younger are projected to experience the
greatest percentage increase (nearly 12 percent). (See Table 5.)”
“Rhetorical question: If developing the area‚Äôs tourism aims to draw the empty-nester crowd to town for a visit (as was pointedly made clear in a presentation at Union Station some time ago), what are we doing to draw the young professional crowd (for perhaps more than a mere visit)?”
It depends on who you mean by “we.”
Dave Mccormick is probably doing more than any single person. He is providing upscale apts in an area that these young, educated, childless types are likely to want to live (near oldtown and the highway, and without too many shiftless types wandering around). THe next are the southside lofts guys, doing the same thing in battersea. Both are taking big risks, risking their own money, with the hopes they can attract this demographic.
Rose’s drug store is being renovated by folks that have been doing some other good projects in the city. Even the owners of the Oak, who I’ve only heard negative murmurings about from various liberals in town, have done WAY more for downtown than most petersburg boosters.
What can be done for boosterism in petersburg by the person of average means? Invest in petersburg. Improve the curb appeal of your house, your neighborhood. Instead of joining committees and subcommities, instead of organizing to yell at the city govt, paint your fence, plant some flowers. Turn a vacant patch into a little park. Devote a little time in your week to picking up the trash that many of the people here leave behind them like a trail.
The big picture will take care of itself. You can only help speed up its advance by little, tangible steps. Hype will fall flat if it is not backed up with quality.
Brenda, the theme of this post is not directed toward you, BTW. I don’t know you — it is directed at the perception that I have that Olde Towne is starting to suffer from a “Too many chiefs and not enough indians” syndrome.
Indeed, I almost answered my rhetorical question precisely with Mayton Transfer, good restaurants, dog park (maybe soon), great parks, SR, … (but didn’t — more fun leaving it open.) :-)
I’ve always said that, “It’s impossible to sweep the whole city by yourself, but if we all sweep our own sidewalk, the city will get clean.”
TG
“I‚Äôve always said that, ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs impossible to sweep the whole city by yourself, but if we all sweep our own sidewalk, the city will get clean.‚Äù”
Ditto.
I live on a block with a lotta littering foot traffic. I pick up a lot of trash, but some of my neighbors do MORE to beautify the block.
You’d hardly notice it though, because of the amount of poorly socialized people who walk by. If we relied on the city, we’d be wading through spent lotto tickets, fast food detritus, and alcohol delivery vessels…
I haven’t seen street cleaning since we moved here. Ever.
Unless the city does it more than every 2 years or summink.
A direct link to the video of this presentation to city council is at http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1438501974/bclid1392485110/bctid1476786448
It is play now on petersburgtv.com