THRIVING DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES

Charles Hutson remembers about a dozen years ago when downtown business owners started talking about forming a downtown redevelopment corporation so a tax could be imposed to improve the area. The idea was met with little enthusiasm outside the downtown faithfuls.

Many buildings were vacant with many stores moving to the west end, and the bustling downtown that had been the retail center of Cape Girardeau for years was becoming eerily quiet.

"When we wanted to get downtown redevelopment started we had a lot of critics saying we were pouring money into an endless hole," said Hutson.

But the Downtown Redevelopment Corp. was formed, and anyone who has been downtown lately knows things have changed. "I think now those same critics see that it was not a mistake," said Hutson.

Perhaps the best indication of downtown changes is the fact that merchants recently began asking the police department to enforce the two-hour-parking limit on Main and Spanish streets during the day. The limit has always existed, but until recently it made little difference whether it was enforced.

Hutson recalled that when the redevelopment effort began, they were advised that the mix for a revitalized area would have to include a combination of entertainment, stores, and people moving downtown to live.

New restaurants and night spots have been springing up downtown in recent years and there is a mix of stores. Recently, there has been greater interest in refurbishing old homes downtown and there are also a number of apartments being built above downtown store buildings.

"That mix is what's happening now," said Hutson.

The big news downtown -- something no one envisioned when the redevelopment began -- is riverboat gambling. Boyd Gaming Corp. will begin construction later this year and a boat should be cruising the Mississippi River by this time next year.

"We will work with Boyd to make everything as compatible as possible," said Hutson. "Based on the projections, there will be a heck of a lot of people coming downtown and visiting the city."

As part of redevelopment, the corporation installed a clock as a focal point at Themis and Main, and has been upgrading intersections as funds allow. During the last year intersections at Spanish and Independence and Main and Independence were finished.

Before other work is done, Hutson said the corporation will wait on traffic studies being done for Boyd.

Not only will the boat mean more visitors, but it will also increase the redevelopment corporation's revenues from about $13,000 a year to between $50,000 and $60,000. Hutson said consideration is also being given to expanding the district to include a larger area.

"Now that people know all of this will be a reality, we are looking at a lot of exciting things we can do," said Hutson. "This is just another thing to make the old part of Cape viable for a number of years. We are very, very optimistic about the future of downtown Cape. These are exciting times. We're certainly moving along."