INC NEWS - Editorial: Ninth Street's future (Herald-Sun)

[John Schelp]

Editorial: Ninth Street's future
Herald-Sun, 8 August 2006

Ninth Street's small but vibrant business district has
long been one of Durham's gems. It is a source of both
pride and sustenance to locals and it is a destination
for visitors, underscored by the fact its exit is
clearly marked on the Durham Freeway.

Part of its appeal is the link between Durham's
present and its past, with many buildings and even a
business or two along the street standing as visual
reminders of the days when it was the bustling
commercial center for the mill village surrounding
Erwin Mills.

The Web site of the Ninth Street Merchants Association
sums up the area's appeal.

"Ninth Street is a pedestrian-friendly, old-fashioned
shopping neighborhood," the association says. "Located
two blocks from Duke University's East Campus in the
Old West Durham neighborhood, Ninth Street offers an
exceptional blend of locally owned specialty shops."

But past success is no guarantee of continued
vitality, and even the most appealing and celebrated
community centers can fall prey to forces unforeseen
or ignored. Or success can at times transform an area
in ways that paradoxically undermine that success.

So it is encouraging that the Durham City/County
Planning Department is working with merchants,
surrounding neighborhoods to envision what all want to
see as the future of Ninth Street.

Frank Duke, the city-county planning director who is
spearheading the effort, and his colleagues see
several potential challenges.

They include worries about the impact of Duke's
planned Central Campus, neighborhood concerns that
commercial development not creep into surrounding
residential areas and the question of what will happen
with an attractive, 15-acre undeveloped parcel next to
the Erwin Mills complex.

Planners already have met with some neighborhoods, and
plan meetings with others. Trinity Park residents have
said they want the area to have, as neighborhood
association president Alice Bumgarner told reporter
Ray Gronberg, "a cohesive look and feel." The
neighbors also are looking, she said, for some
guidelines for what business is appropriate there and
plans for open space.

As Duke notes, there will be many good ideas out
there. These are groups that won't be bashful about
sharing them.

It is way too early to predict or critique the outcome
of the process, but the fact that it is going on is a
powerful reinforcement of how important Ninth Street
and its future are to the community.