Frankfort Riverfront Commission: Don't Screw This Up

Governor Beshear has announced a $150,000 grant to the Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist Commission to study development along the Kentucky River in Frankfort

A "Riverfront Development Study" is the kind of thing which, if not monitored carefully, leads to us waking up one morning and discovering we cannot see the River at all for the exclusive condos, office buildings and flood walls blocking the view.

Instead of meeting in windowless rooms to divvy up "development" money among corporate criminals like the Webb Brothers, may I suggest that the Commission take a walk along both banks of the riverfront it proposes to "develop" and look at what works and what doesn't?

Works:

• riverfront parks
• the Farmer's Market
• restaurants like Glen Willis, the Dragon and Jim's Seafood with river views and outdoor eating on the riverbank
• funky old neighborhoods like Belleview
• colorful relics like the Singing Bridge
• tree-filled yards sloping down to the water
• restored old homes
• easily accessible marinas
• greenspace like that in front of the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Doesn't Work:

• gray concrete abominations like the Capital Plaza Tower, Fountain Place and the Capitol and Main Street parking garages
• "flood walls" that may keep South Frankfort dry but destroy its riverene character
• "flood walls" that just move the high water back upstream to drown other communities
• abandoned hulks like the old YMCA next to the Singing Bridge that should have been restored 20 years ago.

Now that we know what works and what doesn't, here are some ideas for minimizing Things That Don't Work and increasing Things That Do Work:

• Ban construction that blocks public view of the River.
• Preserve existing greenspace.
• Create a Walk/Bike Path along at least one side of the river, uninterrupted from the Connector to the Distillery.
• Encourage boat tours up and down the River.

As the Frankfort Tourist Commission should, but probably doesn't, know, every dollar invested in projects that increase tourism returns seven dollars in revenue to the community. Every dollar invested in industry returns no more than two dollars to the community. A rough extrapolation from those proven numbers implies that every dollar invested in butt-ugly, half-empty monstrosities like Fountain Place probably costs the community revenue.

Naturally moving water is a priceless attraction and tourist draw that most cities would kill for. If Frankfort really wants to move out of the bottom tier of capitol cities, prevent state workers from fleeing town at 4:15 p.m. and establish a sustainable economic base that will last for generations, it'll keep the riverfront green, clean and accessible.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.