A Midtown with Trees, Real Sidewalks and No Overhead Clutter

by Mike Van Houten / May 18, 2020

! was blown away this morning when I walked down Virginia Street to check things out, and it wasn't the wind. It was the sudden lack of overhead cobra-head lights and wiring, the lack of wooden utility poles blocking rhe sidewalk and the new presence of trees. It's completely opened up the street in a way I hadn't imagined. Its almost surreal. It doesn't look like the same neighborhood. 

And probably most touching was a resident in front of me in a motorized wheelchair cruising down the new wider sidewalks with the greatest of ease, without having to venture out into the street to dodge light poles and utility poles. 

Gone are the hodgepodge collection of wooden utility poles and cobra-head lighting, down the entire length of Virginia Street, replaced with sleek new lighting that really opens up the street. 

Gone are all the construction barricades separating the sidewalks from the street. Take a walk down the new Virginia Street when you get a chance, and you'll see for yorueself why I'm so excited. Check the photos out in the gallery below! 

A New Surreal Midtown

Post your comments
  • May 18, 2020 - 3:23:53 PM

    No bike lanes though.

  • May 18, 2020 - 3:26:24 PM

    gonna look a lot less inviting when all that onstreet parking is filled up

  • May 18, 2020 - 4:07:14 PM

    The businesses fought for on-street parking over bike lanes. Not much we can do about that now. That battle lasted freaking nine years or so. It will still look equally inviting, when the onstreet parking is filled up, because the trees will eventually block the view of those cars for the most part.

  • May 22, 2020 - 1:08:23 PM

    No bike lanes. Are cyclists supposed to take a lane and block traffic? Unless they've made it legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk? I can see what Geopower is saying about the look of the street. It might have a very different look when it's filled with parked cars and single lane traffic. Hope the trees make it.

  • May 26, 2020 - 8:12:32 AM

    If trees blocked the view of parked cars from street level they'd be a safety risk to all manner of traffic. Usually they get trimmed up above head height.

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