Speak Up: What does downtown Dover need to succeed?

The Downtown Dover Partnership is gathering input from residents of the capital city about the future of the Loockerman Street area. What are your suggestions? Is more retail the answer, or less? How should crime be deterred? How should Dover’s history be incorporated?

• Much more law enforcement around. — Bob Schweikert
• A five-story parking garage. There is no place to park where all the stores are. — Vincent Deskiewicz
• Rehab facility. — Christian Bergstrazer
• Parking should be made clearer, though the new garage should help with that. I think that new building where the Acme used to be will help. Downtown will get better if more people live within walking distance. — Benjamin Black
• Parking. — Glen M. Howell
• Downtown Dover has always had an issue with parking and parking close to stores. Crime and the perception of areas that are unsafe have also been concerns. More stores will not solve the problem, and neither will a change in the street design. — Howard Gaines III
• Tear down the rundown homes and get rid of the Section 8 housing, and 24/7 police patrol keeping things in check to keep the homeless and sketchballs away. — Tyler McKenna
• Cops on beat to clean up the area. The city needs to take a lesson from Newark on how to revitalize. Grants to attract businesses, especially restaurants. — Tish Chikotas
• Night crime, day parking, loitering — all of it drives away business, as it makes people feel unsafe to shop or be there. — Jeff Grzeszczak
• Clean up litter and crime. — Jonni Wolskee
• Downtown will never thrive as long as the neighborhoods surrounding it remain the way they are. Too much crime and homeless individuals loitering and begging. — Desiree Lynn
• Sad but true. — Teresa A. Appleton
• Well, maybe if the state and/or city helped the homeless population, there wouldn’t be as many. The cost of living is ridiculous, and assistance is tough to come by. — Melissa Epperly
• Republican leadership. — T.J. Rice
• The mayor is a Republican and has been mayor the last 20 years. — Rick Reed
• How many studies have already been paid for to give you those answers? We all know the problems and solutions. — Iam Wright
• Too much panhandling, drug use and prostitution at night. I take Loockerman Street to work, and if I’m going in really early, between 2-4 a.m., I practically have to run red lights to get away from people running up to my car. — Amanda Biddle