Published Wednesday, May 31, 2000
The Charlotte Observor

Mooresville makeover?

Consultants present ideas for downtown revitalization

By SHIRLEY HUNTER MOORE

MOORESVILLE -- Now that planning and architectural consultants have presented a laundry list of ideas to revitalize downtown Mooresville, merchants and property owners are eager to see what happens next.

Ligia Salas, owner of Angels in Waiting maternity wear and baby gift shop, hopes for a quick reaction to consultants' suggestions. She's had her business in downtown for about a year and has been waiting for some rejuvenation.

"I think the town has a lot of potential, but some things need to be addressed," she said.

"To bring (people) in, you have to make it more interesting."

Joyce Matthews, who owns the specialty gift shop Tropical Connections, agrees.

"Anything we can do to make the town look prettier will benefit (us)," she said.

Architectural and planning consultants from the Lawrence Group and Grogan Associates, both of Davidson, laid out a plan last week to improve the downtown's looks and image.

Here's some of what they said after studying the area and the neighborhood around the old hospital:

Add benches, water fountains, decorative lighting and kiosks for community announcements.

Acquire or secure the soon-to-be available Mooresville Ford property on South Broad Street and make it a transit station for the commuter trains that could be coming from Charlotte in a few years. Use the station as a farmer's market site on weekends.

Demolish the old hospital and replace it with housing or offices that will fit in architecturally with the neighborhood.

Get a leasing and marketing agent to recruit restaurants and other businesses.

Put more housing, such as upstairs apartments or lofts, downtown. The upstairs apartments could even feature a view of the trains whizzing by.

Widen sidewalks and add bike lanes to the wider streets.

Establish clear design standards to prevent the construction of unattractive buildings or structures that don't blend in with the neighborhood.

Hire a "floating employee" to fill in for shop owners when they're absent from their stores.

Discourage offices from locating in storefronts, because it creates uninteresting "dead" space.

Merchants and property owners are already discussing some cosmetic changes, including removing the metal awnings and installing decorative store signs.

Wayne Frick, executive director of the Mooresville Downtown Commission, is checking with an engineer to see how best to take down the dated canopies and restore the building fronts.

Beyond the cosmetic changes, many of the other recommendations will be in the hands of the Town Board.

Commissioners haven't determined priorities, but Planning Director Erskine Smith hopes one of them will be creating new building design guidelines. He'd like to have a new set of rules by fall.

Smith also agrees that the Ford property is appropriate for the train station. That issue could be on the board's agenda late this summer, he said.

One item the board probably won't discuss is demolishing the old hospital. There's no interest in buying it from its current owners, Health Management Associates, Mayor Al Jones said last week.

There's a lot of interest and excitement in the overall proposal from the consultants, however.

"The facilitators had a lot of meat to their comments. It wasn't just a lot of fluff," said Viki West Parker, an attorney with an office and property downtown.

"They put together something that seems doable."

Parker said she'd like to see downtown develop its own flavor and style, while keeping the small-town charm so many people enjoy and appreciate.

The good thing is that Mooresville isn't starting from scratch, said Craig Lewis of Grogan Associates. He thinks it's still a viable business district that's not rundown or ugly, only a little tired.

"You have some wonderfully rich architecture already there. You could use that," said Lewis.

"Enrich that. Build on it."

cover story "I think the town has a lot of potential, but some things need to be addressed. To bring (people) in, you have to make it more interesting."