Liberty
from page Al
as Hanes Mall Boulevard -
where retail development is
booming - it will take many
years and a steady flow of dol
lars, according officials in the
city manager's office.
Allen Joines, assistant city
manager for economic develop
ment. said contrary to widely
held beliefs, the city has not
done anything special to pro
mote the thriving Hanes Mall
area.
"There are more people near
Hanes Mall Boulevard than
there are on Liberty Street,"
Joines said. "There is nothing
the city is doing to cause this
development on (Hanes Mall
Boulevard), it's all private
money."
Joines did concede that the
Hanes Mall area is benefiting
immensely from the millions in
public money spent to create the
near-by addition "to Interstate
40.
The corridor may benefit
from plans to expand and con
vert U.S. Highway 52? which
forms a semi-circle around Lib
erty? into Interstate 74, Joines
said.
While the overall population
' of the city grew almost 10 per
cent between 1980 and 1990,
East Winston had a negative
population growth during that
same period.
The latest information avail
able from the city's planning
office also showed that nearly 50
percent of the area's population
had household incomes below
$20,000.
Derwick Page is heading the
city's development efforts on
Liberty Street and other parts of
East Winston. Page said in order
for Liberty Street Corridor to
become economically viable, it
must overcome a long list of
negative stereotypes that many
potential investors have about
the thoroughfare.
"Private businesses already
have perceptions of .the area.
They look for certain income
and social criteria when they
evaluate potential sites. They
don't feel they can make the
same profit on Liberty Street
that they could on Hanes Mall
Boulevard," Page said.
Although Page said he gets
support from officials in the city
manager's office for each project
he's attempting, he admits that
"not a whole bunch" is happen
ing currently on Liberty Street.
However, the old Lowe's
building has finally been leased
to the county after years of lay
ing barren.
"We don't have the
money...The city and the Cham
ber (of Commerce) can do some
things, but until you start get
ting private dollars coming in,
it's going to be an uphill battle,"
Page said.
There are still no grocery
stores, shopping centers or
movie theaters anywhere within
the vicinity. And even though
the city did vow to help secure a
grocery store for Liberty Street
four years ago, Page says such
an initiative is virtually out of
the city's hands.
"We can do everything in the
world, short of building a gro
- eery store," Page said. "The city
can't operate a grocery store on
Liberty Street. Only private
developers can do that."
There are no firm commit
ments from a grocery store or
any other type of business for
File photo
Fow butinossot call Libarty Stroet horn*. Four yoart attar a rovitalixation program wat bagun, the
araa still hat no grocary itor* or shopping contort.
Liberty Street in the near future,
accordirff" to parties familiar
with the project.
"I don't have anything I'm
working on involving Liberty
Street right now," Bob Leak
said, president of Winston
Salem Business Inc.
Winston-Salem Business Inc.
- the industrial business recruit
ing arm of the Chamber of
Commerce ? targets companies
around the nation, and then
tries to lure them to Forsyth
County by promoting the
strengths of the region.
Leak said there are few sites
in the county suitable for indus
trial type industries and almost
none on Liberty Street.
Nor is there much space for
expansion on the street.
Liberty Street Corridor was
once part of historic Wachovia
Tract, the 100,000 acre area of
land purchased by the city's
original Moravian settlers. Over
the centuries the area modern
ized into a vital industrial cen
ter, with a railroad and a major
highway springing up around it.
But today the old Norfolk
Railway tracks and U.S. High
way 52 have land locked Liberty
Street. Demolition could also be
problematic since several build
ings on the street?like Canaan
Baptist Church and Shields
Photo by Bruce Chapman
While efforts to revitalize Liberty Street have languished, Hanes Mall Boulevard has flourished. The
street boast a number of shopping centers and his bolstered by Its proximity to 1-40.
Jarvis Furniture Co.? have
been designated as historical
sites.
"We are going to show
(potential) businesses everything
we have to offer, but I simply
don't have anyone interested in
that area because the product is
not there," Leak said.
Alderwoman Joycelyn John
son has worked to improve con
ditions on Liberty Street and
elsewhere in her East Winston
ward.
Johnson readily admits that
progress on Liberty has been
tedious, but she says even
though the project suffered a
crippling blow when the bond
referendum failed, it is by no
means dea#l.
"While the successes have not
been astronomical, there has
been movement, stuff is happen
ing," Johnson said. i
Johnson points to the fact
that lighting has recently been
improved in some areas, and to a i
recent Brownfield grant awarded i
to the corridor by the Environ
mental Protection Agency.
Many potential businesses
have also avoided Liberty
because of a popular notion
that the lots on the street fall
short of EPA regulations; the
Brownfield Grant will be used to
help investigate potential envi
ronmental problems along Lib
erty Street.
Johnson ? who has already
been instrumental in turning
Lowery Street into an economic
powerhouse ? said she wants
the revitalization of Liberty
Street to become a private and
public sector issue.
"Since we did not get the
bond money, finances will
always be a concern because we
have to do things piece by
piece...(Aldermen) do have some
power, but for this to be success
ful it is going to take an ongoing
community effort," Johnson 1
said.
Johnson said she would like
to see the street resurfaced in the
next year or two, a task that can
be accomplished with funds
through the state's Department
of Transportation.
State Rep. Pete Oldham said
although he personally supports
the corridor project, he is not
working to secure state dollars
for the effort.
"No one ever approached me
about getting involved in the
project, " he said. "If the local
state legislators are asked to be
involved, I'm sure we would do
it." " '
Both Wombje and Oldham
say local elected officials must
first take the initiative in the
matter.
"It would first have to come
as a special request from the
board of aldermen or the coun
ty commission," Oldham said.
"We just can't jump into the pro
feet as state legislators, the
aldermen have to ask us to get
involved."
Oldham said the board has
made many "special requests" to
state representatives in the past,
but none involving Liberty
Street has come to his attention
yet.
Johnson said she is unfamil
iar with such requests.
Alderwoman Vivian Burke
? who is involved in one of the
many groups devoted to improv
ing Liberty Street and other
parts of East Winston ? said
although she only represents a
small portion of the corridor,
she decided to become involved
with the project anyway. Burke
said Oldham can do the same
thing.
"He can take the initiative
himself to work with the
Department of Transportation,"
Burke said. "He's seen the
need...don't let him pass the
buck."
, Burke said the answer to
Liberty Street's problems may
lie in taxes.
The city receives an abun
dance of tax revenue from busi
nesses that already exist on Lib
erty Street, Burke said.
She said if more of that tax '
money is returned to the area
and used for improvements, it
would greatly help the corridor
effort.
The city has only invested
about $200,000 in the project,
Page said, some of which is
being used for grants to give
perks to existing businesses on
Liberty that choose to expand.
The city will also be applying
for a $25 million federal grant to
construct an airport business
park near the end of the corri
dor.
Page said although he is find
ing that he has to educate many
potential business, he? is opti
^mistic about the future of Liber
ty Street Corridor.
"Slowly but surely, we are
showing private developers that
they have to look at more than
median income when they
choose a site to bring their busi
nesses," he said.
Johnson?who speaks with
excitement about plans to con
nect Martin Luther King Boule
vard to University Parkway and
other strides that have been '
made in East Winston? said
Liberty Street is one dream she
won't let die.
"It is our responsibility as
elected officials to make sure
that this is not put on the back
burner," Johnson said. "As long
as we keep talking about what
the area doesn't have, we can't
talk about all the things we do
have to offer businesses."
Photo by Bruce Chapman
An exit from Liberty Stroot to US-32 it ttill incomplete. Mont to convert the highway into 1-74 could bring
improvement! to the area.
i I
NOTICE OF AN OPEN-HOUSE PUBLIC HEARING
ON THE PROPOSED CLOSURE OF THE SEVEN ISLAND
ROAD BRIDGE OVER THE DAN RIVER
Project 8.2640501 B-2639 Stokes County
The Nortti Carolina Department of Transportation will hold the
above open-house public hearing on Tuesday, November 17, 1998
from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Stokes County Government Cen
ter - Commissioner Chambers - located on highway NC 8/NC 89 in
Danbury. Interested individuals may attend this hearing at their con
venience between the above stated hours. NCDOT Division of High
ways personnel will be available to provide information, answer
questions, and take comments regarding this closure. No formal
presentation will be given.
The proposed action consists of closing - without replacement - the
Seven Island Road Bridge (Number 133) over the Dan River. This
action is proposed due to the high replacement cost of the. structure
and the relatively low traffic volume utilizing the bridge. The closure
would necessitate a permanent traffic detour route around the site
approximately 6.6 miles in length. Based on the location of homes
and businesses within the area, the detour is estimated to add 4.9
miles of travel for motorists accessing this route. Several service
roads in the vicinity of the bridge provide access to the Dan River for
recreational activities and will remain open following removal of the
existing structure.
Plans setting forth the bridge location and detour route and a copy
of the environmental document - Categorical Exclusion - are avail
able for public review in the Stokes County Government Center -
County Manager's Office - located on NC 8/NC 89 in Danbury.
Representatives of the Department of Transportation will be avail
able to discuss the proposed bridge closure with those attending the
Public Hearing. Anyone desiring additional information may write to
Mr. Len Hendricks, Citizens Participation Unit, P.O. Box 25201,
Raleigh, NC 27611; telephone (919) 250-4092; FAX (919) 250
4208; or email lhendricks@doh.dot.state.nc.us.
NCDOT - in compliance with the American's With Disabilities Act -
will provide auxiliary aids and sen/ices for disabled persons who
wish to participate in the hearing. To receive special sen/ices,
please call Mr. Hendricks at the above number to give adequate
notice prior to the date of the hearing.
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