May 5, 2008...2:49 pm
Ramped up ramp talk
Reporter Joyce Miles will have a story for Tuesday’s paper exploring the city ramp debate. Some want to rehab it, others want to tear it down. Some want another on built, underground, with shops above. That’s Mayor Tucker’s idea.
Engineering estimates suggest Tucker’s proposal would cost well in excess of $5 million. Greenman-Pedersen Inc., which priced out a series of restoration and replacement scenarios, pegged full rehabilitation of the existing ramp at about $2.3 million.
Despite the cost, I like the underground idea with shops above, as long as the shops can survive and there is still ample parking downtown. There are still a lot of empty buildings around town, including the Benderson plaza up on Transit.
I wonder how hard it would be to fill these proposed shops, with businesses closing every other day.
So what do you think? Should the ramp be repaired, razed and rebuilt or just razed and made into a park or parking lot. Let me know what you think.
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