Sunday, June 24, 2012

"The Hole" in downtown Cheyenne remains whole, for now

Two interesting front section stories about downtown Cheyenne in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. First, a bid to buy and build something in "The Hole" has fallen through. Alan O'Hashi of Wyoming Community Media had plans to combine a revamp of the Hynds Building with construction in "The Hole." He had an option to buy the site from Capital Management LLC of Kansas City but he no longer has the option. "That's just how real estate goes," said O'Hashi. He still has plans to build up to 28 condos in the Hynds and to expand on the artistic space known as LightsOn! He says there's about a 65 percent chance this will happen, but mentioned no details.

Meanwhile, the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority (DDA) plans on joining Wyoming Main Street. This will make it eligible for $20,000 to pay for downtown projects. It also would put them in league with 14 other Wyoming communities, some of whom have accomplished some amazing things with neglected downtowns. Green River and Rawlins come to mind. Laramie has a very active Main Street program and its downtown is thriving -- not just during special events but all the time. The Buffalo Downtown Association (BDA) was recently named the “Wyoming Main Street Affiliate Community Of The Year.” There was a time in the recent past when the BDA was about to call it quits. Now look. None of the 14 Main Street Wyoming communities has a gaping hole in the middle of its downtown. What's their secret?

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