William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.
It does not take a crystal ball to tell me that some current Dover City Council members and the mayor are slowly killing the dreams of improving the downtown area. As much as I want to see the city succeed and become a futuristic city or a metropolis of tomorrow, we cannot erase the writing on the wall. Let’s look at what the current reality is: First and foremost, the social ills that continue to be a rampant trend downtown — like prostitution, homelessness and criminal activity — make it less desirable to take a family downtown to shop or have a meal. It is also obvious that, when citizens feel unsafe in a city, especially at night, it does not foster the desire to come to the downtown area to do business or socialize. When the family budget gets tight and disposable income shrinks due to the cost of living, who would want to spend funds for a parking garage when there are other places to go with free parking? Citizens’ smaller amounts of disposable income have been caused by the city’s fees and property tax increases, resulting in less money to spend on luxury items or on items from downtown business establishments. Further, I can foresee the luxury apartments planned for downtown Dover not succeeding or failing to meet the expectations of professional individuals, who will have concerns about an area that some consider a war zone at times. Many may not want to raise a family or live in a small and questionable area of Dover, where the crime rate is high. Secondly, there are no areas in which to run/jog, like at some high-end apartments and condos, with pleasant and relaxing settings. Third, there is no reliable transportation in downtown Dover. Luxury apartments in slightly larger cities have 24-hour buses, trolleys, trains and high-speed lines. This type of transportation is not available; it limits who would want to live in downtown Dover. Fourth, most professionals want to live in an area that offers nightclubs, fine dining, various gyms, movie theaters, sports and music venues, multicultural art, comedy clubs and many current trends/activities.
I believe that today’s city dwellers are smart, socially conscious and not afraid to ask for more. They want to live in a city that is affordable, sustainable, creative and inclusive — a city that values community over concrete, thinks beyond tech and addresses human experience.
It’s about how cities can evolve to support the lives people want to live. The places that get this right? They’ll be the cities of the future.
So, my question is, can the city of Dover be a city of the future? Can the current mayor, city manager or anyone on City Council tell me what they have accomplished in the past two years that has made the city of Dover a more affordable and desirable place to live or safer or more supporting to the most vulnerable citizens?
To me, the following movies come to mind when I hear news about the downtown development project: “The Money Pit,” “Titanic” and “Trading Places.”
In conclusion, what will be the mayor and council’s response, if the downtown development project is a big flop or fails to produce the results promised during the upgrade process?
It’s something to think about, my fellow citizens!
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
