Comments on: The *new* Chicken Bone http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone Life in the 'ham Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:41:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Rich http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-691 Rich Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:24:13 +0000 http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-691 I've been using Moody Street as the example of what downtown could become since I moved here in 95. Downtown is on the right, but extremely slow, track with the Dennison Lofts and if the Arcade could ever get started. Maybe a StoneCold Creamery or some other type of place that people might want to drive to from up north (of rt 9) would also help spur this. Once there are some more people of means (not to slight anyone there now) living in Dennison and the Arcade, we might be able to see more stores/shops/restaurants other than money transfers/central american travel/rent-a-center/brazillian barbeque places. The social services that popped up downtown (perhaps due to cheap rents) might not be able to expand due to the cost of rents. There seems to be plenty of storefronts still available. Don't mention parking issues as Moody Street parking is probably worse (try pariking there on a saturday everning) Once there are some places to visit downtown, it will be fun to park on the fringe near the Hosp and walk to where you want to go. While you are walking you might discover another place worth visiting. I’ve been using Moody Street as the example of what downtown could become since I moved here in 95. Downtown is on the right, but extremely slow, track with the Dennison Lofts and if the Arcade could ever get started. Maybe a StoneCold Creamery or some other type of place that people might want to drive to from up north (of rt 9) would also help spur this. Once there are some more people of means (not to slight anyone there now) living in Dennison and the Arcade, we might be able to see more stores/shops/restaurants other than money transfers/central american travel/rent-a-center/brazillian barbeque places. The social services that popped up downtown (perhaps due to cheap rents) might not be able to expand due to the cost of rents. There seems to be plenty of storefronts still available. Don’t mention parking issues as Moody Street parking is probably worse (try pariking there on a saturday everning) Once there are some places to visit downtown, it will be fun to park on the fringe near the Hosp and walk to where you want to go. While you are walking you might discover another place worth visiting.

]]> By: michelle http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-672 michelle Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:40:41 +0000 http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-672 amen! amen!

]]> By: Sharon http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-671 Sharon Wed, 01 Nov 2006 12:29:10 +0000 http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-671 Downtown especially needs retail on the GROUND FLOOR level. If there's a need for things like insurance offices, law office and medical centers in the area, they either need to be on side streets off the main commercial shopping streets or they should be on 2nd floors. You want something that appeals to pedestrians in every shop window in the main commercial streets. There's a good reason that most shopping malls don't have health offices, legal offices and so on on their main corridors. It doesn't make for a good shopping experience. Newbury Street in Boston doesn't have lots of street-level law, medical and insurance offices either. If you want to create a great shopping/entertainment destination corridor, it's unlikely to happen by chance. Someone has to PLAN for the types of businesses you want to attract, and understand that other kinds of perfectly useful and legitimate businesses that benefit a community aren't necessarily the best additions to the ground floor of your prime retail corridor. Downtown especially needs retail on the GROUND FLOOR level. If there’s a need for things like insurance offices, law office and medical centers in the area, they either need to be on side streets off the main commercial shopping streets or they should be on 2nd floors. You want something that appeals to pedestrians in every shop window in the main commercial streets.

There’s a good reason that most shopping malls don’t have health offices, legal offices and so on on their main corridors. It doesn’t make for a good shopping experience.

Newbury Street in Boston doesn’t have lots of street-level law, medical and insurance offices either. If you want to create a great shopping/entertainment destination corridor, it’s unlikely to happen by chance. Someone has to PLAN for the types of businesses you want to attract, and understand that other kinds of perfectly useful and legitimate businesses that benefit a community aren’t necessarily the best additions to the ground floor of your prime retail corridor.

]]> By: h http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-657 h Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:48:38 +0000 http://www.thisisframingham.com/the-new-chicken-bone#comment-657 Whatever happened with the plan for the town members to enlist the Waltham town planners in helping Downtown Framingham start to restore and renovate itself like Waltham did about a decade or so ago. Waltham Center is the Bomb! Great restaurants and now great and funky shops moving in. Downtown Framingham has so much potential and quite honestly too much Brazil in it to make it a destination for anyone other than a Brazilian or a wayward homeless person who is there for the various drug/alcohol related places. Whatever happened with the plan for the town members to enlist the Waltham town planners in helping Downtown Framingham start to restore and renovate itself like Waltham did about a decade or so ago. Waltham Center is the Bomb! Great restaurants and now great and funky shops moving in. Downtown Framingham has so much potential and quite honestly too much Brazil in it to make it a destination for anyone other than a Brazilian or a wayward homeless person who is there for the various drug/alcohol related places.

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