Why did we walk away? #TroyCrazy

Jeff Buell

2 hrs ·
Why did we walk away?

I hate using I while writing, but bear with me. It's needed here.

It's ironic this article should appear today, at the conclusion of a week where everything shifted for me as it relates to business.
When I formed Sequence Development almost 3 years ago, it was done with the idea that we could make a difference in our urban areas, to help create dynamic change that, at its core, would be sustainable.

I love my hometown. Much more than I should. I feel no shame or regret about this attempt to create sustainability at Monument Square. It definitely did not work out as planned, but that isn't from lack of effort.

At its core, our proposal created a permanent home for the wildly popular Farmer's Market, an idea cooked up while eating lunch at Sweet Sue's down the street. The plan was to create for them a home they'd never have to leave, and give Troy another foundation to build off of. If anyone doubts that a significant amount of gain was made because of the Farmer's Market, visit Troy on a Saturday at 1 p.m. and then come back Sunday at the same time.

Too many people in and around Downtown believe that the happening Renaissance in Downtown is complete. It is not. If the same amount of energy is not expended in the next ten years as the last ten years, we risk losing what has been built. Downtown Troy is a great story. It has unique shops and restaurants, a genuine sense of community, walkable streets, and a feeling that it could last forever. I consider many of the people making this happen my friends. Even the opponents of this project, I don't disagree with everything they say. Some of it came disingenuously from people afraid of the harm it would do them, but that's life. The rest of it was from people that care, another important Troy trait.

It's hard to believe it's been 9 years since this idea first arrived. There's great lessons in it. The one point I hope is constantly driven home now and in the future is that this is the heart of the Downtown and it must be treated as such.
When this started, there was genuine excitement surrounding the potential connections that would be made from the River up to the Downtown. I take all the blame for failing to explain to people, in a better fashion, why the Farmer's Market was the right choice for that location. What made sense to me- a business AND attraction that people would travel from afar to see, was too often viewed as disruption of something people loved- a street fair. That was never the intent.

I'll be a cheerleader for activity on this site moving forward provided it has one key ingredient. There must be public space. It must be excellent. It must be a draw. It should not be a glorified parking lot. When we lease our apartments in Downtown Troy, and elsewhere, we talk about the city being the amenity. You're renting a lifestyle. It so happens right now that we have the coolest lifestyle, and everyone wants to be here. But that can change if we aren't careful. All the restaurants and the apartments will not matter a lick if people don't have a great sense of place about the square.

A wise man knows when it is time to walk away. That answers my first question asked in this post. Though 9 years, and at least 4 efforts have passed, the potential that was first seen here remains. I hope in the future people can coalesce around the idea that this is Troy's heart and avoid the angry rhetoric that too often invades dissenting discussion. I assure you, no one cares more about the square than I do.