#23... Oak Street

Why We Love It..  

Well, we didn't like it as much until just recently.  The streetscape improvements have really made a big difference in the appeal of the area.  We can't wait to see the area grow.  The new trimmings will help businesses by creating a more attractive environment for visitors.  We are fans of the unique businesses along the street and love the Oak Street Cafe.  The Teal Art Gallery just opened recently and Street Dance Studio was a good addition a little over a year ago.

The city has plans for this area to eventually be an arts village with arts centric businesses and residential buildings to help give life to the area.  We support this vision and think it would be a great way to bring additional life to the historic district.

What We Would Change..

Well, we'd obviously like to upgrade the entire street but that will come over time.  It would be nice to see something besides a parking lot at the western end of the street but hopefully that will be addressed sometime in the future as well. 

The biggest thing we would do is figure out a way to get the wires out of the air.  Our historic district is overrun with utility lines and poles that were poorly placed and ultimately contribute negatively to the overall quality of the environment.  There were some improvements along Oak Street but the cost kept the city from making the full improvements that were needed.