Overhead Utility Wires a Thing of the Past
Telephone poles are coming down along a 4-block section of Summit Avenue, from DeForest to Broad Street. The utility infrastructure serving downtown Summit is now completely up to date and buried underground.
This is the long-awaited final step in a $4.7 million face-lift councilman Bill Rosen began eight years ago to transform our cityscape into a competitive marketplace.
Construction of new curbs, sidewalks, lighting, mini-parks, and traffic claming devices proved very disruptive at first Some merchants had trouble surviving the millennium.
But with additional parking, fresh street signage and excellent mass transit connections, no one complains about tree-wells any more. In fact, very few storefronts are empty these days, and a wait list actually exists for certain locations.
Approximately 600 companies do business dontown including 150 retail storefronts. Collectively the generate a Gross Town Product (GTP) around $200 million a year judging from the 350,000 sq feet of office space occupied.
100 years ago industries like greenhouses and silk mills abounded. Today restaurants, car dealerships, realtors, and financial asset managers account for most profits.
Anything that improves the economic viability of Downtown is good news for Summit. Commercial/Industrial ratables have fallen $.5 billion versus $2.5 billion Residential, so 81% of local taxes today are paid by households. Thirty years ago homeowners carried just 70% of the burden.
Residents have a huge stake downtown whether they personally own/operate a business there or not. Our revitalized CRDB district has made Summit to choices for shoppers and home-buyers alike.
We won't miss the utility poles either. Last time the old Civil Defense siren at corner of DeForest & Summit Ave wailed for 30 seconds every Saturday noon was 1989. Good riddance!
Tom's Current Agenda
Smaller
Government
Recycling
Public Art
No Freight Trains
Downtown
Economy
Municipal Budget
Taxes
Traffic