Downtown revitalization follows investments

Forty-one new businesses opened in downtown Cape Girardeau during the last fiscal year, for a net gain of 24 businesses and 59 new jobs.

Jackson's smaller uptown area saw seven new businesses start up, the most since at least 2013, when the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization was started.

Some might consider these numbers surprising. But this is exactly what downtown revitalization proponents have been predicting for years.

For instance, in Cape Girardeau, the city and downtown officials collaborated on the design of Broadway. A controversial decision was made to eliminate some parking spaces in favor of a more pedestrian-friendly corridor. A lot of emphasis was placed on landscaping and aesthetics. Proponents said at the time that a better designed streetscape would inject a new enthusiasm for downtown.

And those predictions are right. Broadway led to other infrastructure improvements, and more developers began looking at downtown Cape Girardeau differently.

On a smaller scale, the same has occurred in Jackson. If you've not visited Uptown Jackson recently, you'd be impressed. The uptown area has seen similar improvements, even when it meant turning one street into a one-way corridor. Aesthetics matter, and Jackson has invested resources into making the uptown district look quaint. More development and interest has followed.

Now Cape Girardeau is home to many tech-related jobs. More nearby residential developments will come soon.

"There's an entrepreneurial spirit that has been developed through Codefi and the [Marquette] Tech District," Old Town Cape director Marla Mills told reporter Tyler Graef. "[Tech-based entrepreneurship] is happening in a lot of downtowns across the country. Our downtown was just in a good position to take advantage of that and have the right people in the right places to support that growth. It doesn't just happen."

As for Jackson's uptown district, Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce director of retail development Jen Berti said, "The Jackson community is growing, and people want a fun uptown, where they can grab a cup of coffee, go shopping, grab dinner and a drink, and enjoy different events. Business owners see the vitality and the traffic, and know that their business will get exposure."

What was old has become new again. Our old business and downtown districts are making a comeback, and we see nothing but good things in store in the coming years.