| By Councilwoman Virginia Korte |
There are many things that make our city so special – but few surpass the uniqueness of Old Town.
One of the things that make it so unique, especially compared to the downtowns of other cities, is the energy it generates. Our Old Town has become a 24-7 destination for residents and visitors alike.
But we need to keep working to sustain its success.
The past three years the city has invested an average of $5.4M a year in the Old Town area. That has included everything from sidewalk to streetscape improvements to more aggressive advertising and social media marketing campaigns. During this three-year period, the city has invested more than $3 million alone in special Old Town events like Western Week,
Experience Scottsdale is also playing an important role by making Old Town one of the pillars of its marketing campaign that showcases Scottsdale around the country.
While attracting visitors and residents to Old Town is a collaborative effort, it’s our retail merchants, restaurant and bar owners and our art gallery proprietors who deserve the real credit. They are the ones who, day in and day out, are investing their sweat equity in making their businesses successful.
The success of Old Town also creates challenges – like increasing parking issues. That is why the city manager is working on ways to help solve the parking concerns that make financial sense for taxpayers. I hope you and your family will continue to support the businesses and events in Old Town to help keep it so special.
Sincerely,
Virginia L. Korte