News on downtown development

I missed the news about a new city ordinance but I think a lot of people probably did. The Herald-Bulletin brought it up in a story headlined "Dreams Bar & Grill in line for liquor license". The article described the ordinance as follows:

In December 2004, the Anderson City Council approved a resolution, No. 6504, to create the Municipal Riverfront Development District that made three-way alcoholic beverage licenses available.

District boundaries stretch west from the White River to the alley between Meridian and Jackson streets, south to the area just beyond Town Center Plaza and include the State Theater and Big Four Depot.

“The intent is to create opportunities for dining establishments to locate in the district,” Linda Dawson, assistant director of the Anderson Economic Development Department told the Herald Bulletin. “We don’t want the street to be filled with bars and taverns, but for restaurants to locate in the area.”

Anybody who knows much about the restaurant business knows that a liquor license can be the difference between survival and failure.

It looks like the Council figured out two years ago that downtown development needs to be based on entertainment. Now why have we seen so little development?

By the way, I have heard that the new Italian eatery downtown is having trouble.