I think the commissioner's argument about establishing a historic district on Dickson says it all.Commissioners argue that what they're trying to preserve is Dickson Street's personality.
Note, that there isn't anything at all about saving any particular building because of it's historical significance. I recall that Karen Minkel said that there was not a building on Dickson that would considered to be of any historical significance.
"We don't need another layer of government telling us what we can and can't do," Jim Huson, owner of Doe's Eat Place on West Dickson Street, said flatly to the Fayetteville Historic Commission and the roughly 50 people gathered at the UARK Ballroom Monday night. "I don't really want a bunch of self-appointed people, that suddenly wants to have a cause, to tell me what I can and can't do with property that I own."
We should try to save buildings that truly have some historical significance but to try to regulate buildings because you don't want change the ambiance is another thing. Dickson street is always changing. Stores and restaurants come and go. It's utterly ridiculous to saddle potential owners with a bunch of additional restrictions. Who would want to buy property on Dickson? Fayetteville continues to live up to it's reputation of business unfriendly.
Interestingly, the Walton Arts Center is conspicuously left out of the proposed district. I bet the Commission knew that they were going to ruffle feathers and they didn't want to ruffle the Arts Center because they would just leave Fayetteville.
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That street is always changing. I wonder how many of those who were trying to establish the historical district remember the Dream Merchant or the Flag Shop? Would they have been so inclined to include those buildings in the District for the atmosphere? Come to think of it, maybe the Dream Merchant would have been kept for the "atmosphere."
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