Why can’t downtown grow?

I get asked a lot of questions – and the number one question I get asked about Downtown Blakely is: “Why won’t it grow?”

It doesn’t take long to figure out the root of it. It can be human nature to cast blame and point fingers – but the primary responsibility of properties is on the owners. Downtowns have long been the beating hearts of cities— hubs of culture, commerce and community. But increasingly, these once-vibrant centers are hollowing out, not solely because of online shopping, suburban sprawl, or pandemics, but due to the decisions made by those who own the land beneath them.

Ideally, these owners might appear to be natural allies in the effort to revitalize downtown areas that they have a vested interest in. But too often, short-term profit motives, speculative holding strategies, and outdated expectations lead them to make decisions that drain life from the very assets they own.

As I think about the past two and a half years, I can count at least ten quality businesses that have attempted to locate in Downtown Blakely. These would have been absolutely fantastic opportunities that would have fast tracked our entire economic development mission of providing a better quality of life with good jobs and more local sales tax.

Many rural downtowns such as ours suffer not from a lack of interest but from a lack of access. Property owners hold out for top-dollar tenants, refusing to lower sell or rental prices, even as storefronts sit empty for years—or decades. These vacancies become contagious. A boarded-up shop signals decline, deterring foot traffic and discouraging investment.

Negligent property owners are preventing our downtown from providing quality, attractive spaces and businesses for our community. What is the appropriate chain of accountability if the property owner is unwilling to respect the community enough to upkeep the building? In that case the local government must require accountability from property owners within its jurisdiction. It is unfair for a community that desires a thriving future to be held ransom in this way.

If property owners are allowing their buildings to fall into disrepair and refuse to sell or upkeep, they must be held accountable by the local government to do better by the community. This is why cities and counties adopt codes of ordinances – however, if the rules are not enforced then they don’t do much good. Healthy downtowns depend on cooperation— between businesses, developers, residents and local government.

These owners could be the real champions of economic development and community morale by working with small business owners instead of seemingly “against” them. Ultimately, revitalizing downtowns requires more than investment—it requires a shift in mindset.

Property owners must see themselves not just as landlords, but as citizens of a shared space. Until then, the very people who own downtowns may continue to be their greatest threat.

Published in the Early County News on July 23, 2025.