Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
I know all the work they are doing is aimed to make it a better place for the people who live in, or close to, the neighbourhood... but as a place to visit for outsiders, there's not a lot of incentive there to visit. It's been a non-stop construction zone for years, parking is a hassle, and it doesn't necessarily offer anything particularly unique that I can't get elsewhere. There are other more accessible cool nodes in town, and Marda Loop is just not really worth the headache.
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The thing about all of the handwringing when it comes to these improvements is that I don’t think Marta Loop was that attractive place to visit before. It’s been a traffic nightmare for years. It’s been a parking nightmare for years.
Businesses acting like this is all because of construction is missing the mark a bit. The neighborhood had reached a tipping point. It was no longer a desirable location because it’s not in a great location. It has limited transit access and isn’t walkable except the adjacent neighborhoods.
Places like 17th, mission and Kensington have multiple options, including bus/train, plus plentiful space for parking nearby and multiple access points.
This was a damned if they do and damned if they don’t. The city spends three years revitalizing the area to make it more friendly to visitors and the businesses complain because of the construction. But if they done nothing the neighbourhood still would’ve failed because people were already gonna stop going there because it was such a nightmare to get in and out of or find parking.
Marda loop was always better as the city’s best kept secret. Like many other things in life the minute it became too popular it started to suck.
I do feel bad for the business owners who had businesses fail but I think this might help reset the thought process around Marda loop as a destination.