Residents and local visitors to the Capital City’s downtown said they value the walkability of Main Street and appreciate the variety of businesses, according to a recent Concord Monitor community survey.
They also reported frustrations with parking and the slim pickings for nightlife.
Just shy of 100 people responded to the Monitor’s survey about downtown Concord, which sought to examine how often people visit Main Street and where they tend to go when they’re there. The survey queried the strengths and weaknesses of downtown and what areas they see for improvement.
Monitor readers and community members had the chance to share their thoughts over the summer on social media, the Monitor website, in print and at Market Days in June.
Here’s what we learned.
The demographics
Locals: 77% of respondents said they live in Concord. Including that group, 97% of respondents said they live within 30 minutes of the city. About half of all surveyed said they work in Concord.
A mix of ages, but largely seniors: Just under 60% said they were over 60. The other 40% were split relatively evenly between people aged 46-60, 31-45 and 18-30.
Longtime residents: On average, those from Concord had lived here for 22 years. The longest tenure in Concord was more than 70 years, and the shortest was just over a year.
The regulars: Most were those who frequent downtown. About a quarter of respondents said they go downtown daily, and more than two-thirds said they visit the area multiple times per week.
What’s going well
Walkability is everything: When asked what they see as the strengths of downtown, more than any other quality, they cited their ability to stroll and walk downtown and the area’s pedestrian infrastructure. People recognized the improvements made to Main Street as the primary contributor to this strength; many specifically celebrated it.
A good mix: Residents enjoyed that downtown boasts a wide range of local businesses and restaurants and that these spots provide a variety of things to do, buy and eat.
“It has everything I’ve ever needed,” resident Rebecca Lapitino wrote in her survey response. “It’s just big enough to get what I need and be home in 10 minutes. It is friendly, colorful and safe, with a great sense of community. And the traffic is minimal. It has come a long way in 50 years!”
Areas for improvement
Parking: Parking was the top improvement people are hoping for downtown, with more than 25% citing it.
Note that this figure lumps together anyone who mentioned parking under this section of the survey. Not everyone included in the figure had gripes about not being enough spots, and many said they wanted different hours for paid parking, different parking rates or more handicap accessible spaces.
Ideas for change varied widely. Some suggested a handful of 15-minute spots in strategic places. Many said generally that they have trouble finding a place to park during rush hours. Conversely, some said they wanted less space dedicated to cars on Main Street. When asked what Main Street could do better, many answered vaguely and simply said “parking.”
Curtis Barry, despite having a paid parking space in a private lot, still flagged parking as a major source of concern. He has lived in Concord for 37 years.
“Despite the city building new parking facilities, parking still seems to be an issue; the new garages don’t help with occasional visitors as most of the spaces are reserved for employees of commercial businesses,” Barry wrote. “Moreover, reserved spaces at the newer Storrs Street garage are not available to the public until 7 p.m., too late for someone attending a show at either of the two nearby theatres and way too late to have a meal someplace downtown ahead of the show.”
Nightlife: About 20% said they wanted more nightlife in the city and more than 10% said they wished restaurants stayed open later.
When David Portal, 28, moved to Concord from Florida for a job three years ago, he was “pleasantly surprised” to see the energy downtown, given the city’s size.
Still, he said, there isn’t much nightlife.
“I don’t want to sound mean, but it is almost non-existent,” he said. He and his girlfriend will stay local for things like “Emo Nites,” but often, “we can’t really get that fix in Concord. So we’ll go all the way down to Boston for that.”
Most love the restaurants already established on Main Street, but they want more of them.
Biggest draws
Food: More than half of those answering the survey said what brings them to Main Street most often is going to a restaurant, bar or coffee shop. Shopping, work and running errands (like going to the bank, getting gas or making an appointment) were each the top draw for about 15% of respondents.
When asked which specific businesses or places they frequent the most, most ranked a restaurant or food business first.
In order, the top destinations were The Works, Gibson’s Bookstore, Revelstoke Coffee, Dos Amigos Burritos and the Concord Food Co-op, which is mainly a grocery store but also has hot food and is a popular lunch hub.
Given the locals’ love of variety, a predictably wide range of places were listed, with more than 40 businesses named as their most frequent stops.
Although shopping, running an errand and going to work were less prominent reasons for venturing downtown, it’s worth noting that people often make more than one stop along Main Street. Someone who goes downtown primarily to go to work likely also frequently grabs lunch or goes to happy hour in the evening. Someone running an errand at the bank may swing into a nearby shop to peruse. Festival attendees may buy an ice cream or latté along the way.
Food for thought:
Other takeaways of note from survey responses:
- A handful of people pointed out that Main Street lacks some staples that either it had in the past or that people expect of it. Namely, they felt like it’s missing a hardware store, a pharmacy and a corner or general store.
- While broad consensus existed that building a bridge between downtown and the river is prohibitively expensive, several said they still daydream about it.
- The city is reconsidering its parking garages and their futures – and future On Main reporting will take a closer look at downtown parking – but, in the meantime, locals are rubbed the wrong way that the new legislative garage won’t be open to them at any time.
