The Successes
Development downtown isn’t occurring only in Webster Station by any stretch, but that neighborhood is definitely emerging. Significant growth in residential housing, amenities and jobs is planned for the area in the next few years – supporting the model of live, work and play in one district.
The area has seen significant residential investment in recent years, with more planned. The sign announcing the impending Canal Block Development went up in time for Urban Nights. Numerous articles have been written regarding housing planned for the parking lots at First St. and Patterson. The Merc project is progressing and would be a great stride in linking the residential pockets of the district. With Cooper Park and Riverscape as green space anchors, Webster Station is one of the best options for residential expansion.
The amenities also abound. The neighborhood has pubs and restaurants, art galleries, a gym, a salon, churches, schools, the ball field, the library and a variety of retail establishments, including those in the Second Street Market. Generally, the area is pedestrian friendly and has plenty of parking, on the street and in lots and garages.
Tech Town is coming along – albeit slowly. The post demolition clean up effort seems to have been completed and foundational developments have begun for one of the buildings. This pending office park will be the missing link in completing a “live, work, play” concept within the district and would really expand the usability of the district’s boundaries.
The Challenges
What is there is great, but what isn’t there definitely limits the success of the establishments that have invested in the area. Crowds attract crowds and there are a lot of dead spaces in-between establishments that make it difficult to make the area appear thriving to the casual observer. The empty storefronts and buildings on second and first streets reduce the attractiveness in walking from the central business district – limiting pedestrian traffic and potential consumers. Large, full city block structures such as Patterson High School, Memorial Hall and Mendelson’s Liquidation Outlet don’t promote a dawdling, leisurely stroll to or around the neighborhood. The key areas of development – Cooper Park and the Cannery area - don’t have an obvious pedestrian traffic pattern to link them. When you walk from the Southern Belle to Brixx Ice House to Therapy Café in search of a beverage, there isn’t a unifying theme that ties the neighborhood together.
The Possibilities
There are a lot of options for fixing these problems, many of which are in the early planning phases. Some solutions require smaller efforts than others. The Canal Block development will fill in some of the dead space, as would the utilization of the building between Miami Jacobs and Southern Belle. The re-use of Patterson High School would certainly be welcome, and expanding Canal Walk or its theme to Cooper Park could help unify the neighborhood. The rumored residential use of the some of the Mendelson property would certainly tie the east of side Webster Station to the development efforts in the more established western edge.
The Opportunity
What really seems to be missing is a unified plan and vision for the neighborhood. A lot of efforts are underway, but is anybody or any thing tying it all together? It is possible that we could feed off each project’s momentum if we had a vision and timeline clearly defined. Collaboration is the key – perhaps the time has come to identify the leaders on each development project and key players in the community that can drive a real vision for the neighborhood.
There are a lot of venues for such collaboration, from the downtown priority board to the Webster Station Business Association, to others I am sure I don’t know about. Maybe the collaboration has been occurring and we just aren’t aware. Or maybe the forum hasn’t been conducive to these conversations. We are a neighborhood that is burgeoning – and we need to harness the momentum and define what unifies us as a unique neighborhood.
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Cooper Park has really become a communal respite in the last year. We are daily visitors to the park because we are one of the many residences that include a dog. Very often our dog Cody runs into his good
friends Sam & Tess, Joshua or the newest edition in the doggy neighborhood, Noah. Barney, Daisy, and Bubba are also frequenters of the park, with their owners in tow. Because we appreciate its beauty and value
our community spaces, us dog owners are diligent about picking up after our dogs and also utilize the frequent walks to ensure that trash and litter is properly disposed of. 
