Quote:
Originally Posted by sa meredith
AW
While I agree with much of your post, and can appreciate the history in the Weirs, I don't see how much of it should be "preserved". That area seems like such prime retail, revenue generating, space...a complete tear down, and do over is just so very long over due.
Any old school, honky tonk, charm has long since run it's course.
A mondern day, luxury hotel/casino would fit in so well right there. It would bring in year round dollars, and become the premier boating destination all summer.
Of course, this is just one idea, and more fantasy than anything else. For now, however, that area is just wasted space. Old, sad, sometimes pathetic...what a nice sight to greet new visitors...a burned out building.
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I once thought that a major rebuild/rezone would be a good thing for Weirs Beach but then I saw an area where that happened and it made me think twice.
Have you ever spent any time in Virginia Beach, VA? Whether you were there as a tourist or were stationed there in the Navy, you'll know that there's lots of little shops, bars, honky-tonk type places, etc. The Weirs has always reminded me a bit of VA Beach, although on a much smaller scale.
I travel to VA Beach about once a year for work purposes (no joke - nice, huh?) Anyhow, the area has recently been re-zoned and many of the old businesses have closed or moved. The area looks horribly commercial - more like Miami Beach - and not in a good way. It's tacky, plastic, tourist-trap-like, and just.... ug! Much of the color of the area is gone - it's just not the same now that there's chain restaurants and chain stores everywhere.
Maybe it's just my love for history, the Lakes Region, or whatever, but I'd hate to see some of the old buildings lost to a project like what I've seen in VA Beach. I'd wager that there could be grant money to restore some of them, perhaps make the area a little more family-friendly with better businesses and restaurants, and maybe freshen up the arcades/boardwalk area. There's certainly a lot of possibilities - I'd prefer to see it more like Kennebunkport than like Miami Beach... keep it local, unique, historical, clean, and preserved.
I don't have all the answers for what needs to happen with Weirs Beach - but I do know what I don't want to see happen with that area. I cringe to think what would happen if we let the chain stores and restaurants come into that area....