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City Looks to Attract More Businesses to North Avenue

by KREX News Room
by Danielle Kreutter

Story Created: Sep 17, 2012 at 8:29 PM MDT

Story Updated: Sep 18, 2012 at 7:32 AM MDT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- The ongoing efforts to revitalize North Avenue continue as city officials look into providing incentives to businesses that set up shop there.

Poppy Woody has owned a business off North Avenue for the last 30 years and is helping city officials with the North Avenue Improvement Plan.

"Just about everything needs to be improved," said Woody. "Everything from the medians, the sidewalks, the roadways and just the general up keep of the corridor needs to be improved."

City officials' next step in the process is to implement an overlay zone.

"The overlay would act as an additional set of standards and guidelines that we would look at for new development as new development occurs," said David Thornton, the principal planner for the city of Grand Junction.

As businesses come to fill empty lots, the overlay will give them building options that the original zoning did not provide.

"Trying to create a more pedestrian ... wider sidewalks, building up close to the street, front door on the building, visual corridor and a place that people can walk from one business to another," said Thornton.

Wide sidewalks, which are rare on North Avenue, are also part of the plan.

"The pedestrian could actually move themselves away from the curb up to 14, 15 feet away from the road and that provides a safety comfort," said Thornton.

Those involved with the plan say they hope that paying a little more attention to North Avenue will go a long way.

"Just make it a friendly place for families, for shoppers, for people who are just traveling through, it would be beneficial to everybody," said Woody.

On Tuesday, planners will hold an open house to get public comment on the plan.

The open house will take place at Taste of Heaven Catering at 2817 North Ave. from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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Anony said on Wednesday, Sep 19 at 2:16 PM

Revitalize East Colfax is more like it! Abandoned movie theaters, condemned houses, missing lamp poles from drivers hitting them, and the one's that don't work, P.o.S. chain link fence in front of the Golf course that people have run through, no landscaping.....And now they want to do something about it!! Drove through Delta lately?? They look way, way better than our North!

Anonymous said on Wednesday, Sep 19 at 8:01 AM

So true, RC! Also, if they really wanted it to look better, they would have located the homeless shelter and the mental health shelter (and the wal=mart?) in different areas. The panhandlers drive people crazy, are often aggressive and assault those who won't give them money, there are people selling dogs, drunks, shoplifters, a myriad of problems on North Ave. to work on before trying to make money by "offering incentives" to incoming businesses.

RC said on Tuesday, Sep 18 at 2:45 PM

I don't believe that the city really wants to do much about North Avenue. Yes, it looks sort of trashy and there are many vacant storefronts, but do they really care? Do they really want thiving business there and the area looking nicer? If they did care they wouldn't have neglected North Avenue in favor of the area around Mesa Mall or the cherished Main Street area. They are reaping what they have sown.

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