Downtown Hudson Merchants Wage Fight to Preserve Main Street Vitality

This November 2, while people across the country take their turn casting a ballot for the next U.S. president, residents and merchants of Hudson, Ohio, will be asked to cast their vote on another matter that could significantly impact their future.

Two local Hudson groups are stressing that Issue 25 -- which seeks to change local zoning laws to increase the allowable square footage of retail stores -- could drastically affect the economic vitality of a new downtown development set to open in October, as well as set a precedent by attracting strip malls to Hudson. Issue 25 was placed on the November 2 ballot by developers of a proposed $60 million strip mall, the "Promenade of Hudson," as reported by The Plain Dealer. The development would include a number of national chain stores.

First & Main, a transformation and expansion of Hudson, Ohio's historic downtown.

The planned development of a strip mall sits at odds with the nearly completed development of First & Main, a transformation and expansion of the city's historic, 200-year-old downtown district, some two miles north of the proposed site of the Promenade.

First & Main, which added almost 200,000-square-feet to the downtown area, is "designed to look like a community built over time," as reported by The Plain Dealer, "with different architectural features, varying sizes and shapes of windows and doorframes, seven types of brick and three shades of mortar." Moreover, First Street was extended northward and paved with "oversize 1930s-era bricks," the article noted.

Liz Murphy of The Learned Owl Bookshop told BTW that her store, like other existing retail stores on Main Street, was "absorbed into" the First & Main development. "First & Main encompasses Main Street," she said. "It's a seamless blend of new and old." Not surprisingly, downtown Hudson merchants are "all happy about [First & Main], because we hope that it will bring shoppers downtown," Murphy said.

Nonetheless, there is concern that a 350,000-square-foot strip mall just two miles away will deter many Hudson residents from braving the traffic and making the drive downtown. For many of the pre-existing Main Street businesses, the additional shoppers are crucial if they are to survive much longer, Murphy explained. "My store is doing okay, but several [retailers] have said, 'Well, we'll give it until Christmas'" to decide whether or not to remain open.

At present, Murphy is working with two organizations, Smart Growth Hudson and Hudson Tomorrow, in the hopes of convincing residents to vote "No" on Issue 25. "The city and developers put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into First & Main," Murphy said, "to make sure it's in keeping with the historic nature of Hudson downtown…. It's a very historic community. We want to keep retail in the center of town and keep it vibrant."

Murphy continued that, "for many years," the city has had a 200 - 400 page comprehensive plan, "talking about what direction Hudson wants to go in all aspects. It was just revised … with an Economic Development segment." While the First & Main development follows the rules of the plan, she said, "the [Promenade] developer is by-passing city planning measures by putting [Issue 25] on [the November 2] ballot."

Author Stacy Mitchell speaking at an event, sponsored by The Learned Owl, to publicize Issue 25.

With the critical vote less than two months away, Murphy, Smart Growth, and Hudson Tomorrow, along with some First & Main merchants, have been doing all they can to bring publicity to Issue 25. They have taken out ads in local newspapers, and there have been newspaper articles about their efforts. In addition, on September 22, The Learned Owl held an event at Hudson's new American Legion Hall featuring Stacy Mitchell, author of Home Town Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores ... And Why It Matters (Institute for Local Self-Reliance).

The groups have also approached the city regarding the issue, but "the city council is not going to take a stand on it," Murphy said. Furthermore, the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on which Murphy sits, on Tuesday, September 21, voted 9 - 2 to endorse the Promenade development and Issue 25. "Their theory is it will have no effect on downtown," she said. "That people up here will keep coming here."

In the meantime, the grand opening of First & Main is scheduled for Saturday, October 9, with a "Sneak Preview Night" on the evening of October 8, the proceeds of which will benefit Hudson City Schools. The Grand Opening Weekend will include a formal ribbon cutting ceremony, children’s events, shopping sprees, prizes, and an adult concert -- all wrapped up in a street festival-type atmosphere.

For more information on First and Main, click here. -- David Grogan