Private investment will make your downtown a center for shopping, dining, and living. Public investment will lead the way.
In retailing they’re known as anchors: the department stores, museums, ball parks, and other large venues that draw people in to a neighborhood to shop and dine at nearby businesses. In Moss Point, they’ll be known as the riverfront park, the new town green, the interpretive center, and city hall.
Locals and visitors will travel downtown to enjoy festivals and farmers markets, and to learn about Moss Point’s special ecology. City employees and residents visiting on city business will come throughout the work week. All of these people will be customers for current and future shops and restaurants.
A beautified Main Street will provide a pleasing environment where visitors can come to enjoy the park, run errands at city hall, shop at local stores, and dine in new restaurants. And with obsolete public buildings gone from downtown, there will be even more land – land made more desirable by views of parks and public buildings – for developers to transform into shops, offices, and homes.
“By locating public buildings in areas with existing infrastructure, state and local governments send a message to the rest of the community that these areas are worthwhile investment opportunities.” - Getting to Smart Growth
