Unless they regard the opening of a new CVS as the best Peabody can do in terms of revitalizing its downtown, city councilors ought to get behind new Council President David Gravel's initiative aimed at taking a fresh look at zoning in that area.
While Salem, Beverly and Danvers have all seen growth in their historic commercial districts recently, Peabody's continues to languish. There's a new CVS on Main Street, but the bakery next door has closed after only a couple of years in business.
Gravel, Mayor Michael Bonfanti, and the more forward-thinking members of the council are convinced that rezoning and some changes in traffic patterns are key to bringing new, beneficial growth to an area that is stagnant and even a little bit seedy, and whose primary function seems to be carrying traffic between Salem and the highways.
All this traffic should be great for the kinds of businesses — restaurants, small shops, art galleries and the like — Gravel envisions for the area. And the area's proximity to both the highways and Salem's commuter rail station make it a natural candidate for quality residential development.
Unfortunately there is a feeling among some councilors — foremost among them being Rico Mello, whose Ward 3 includes Walnut and Central streets — that any change would either be bad for residents and businesses currently downtown, or sadder, is simply not worth attempting. For too many years this minority has been allowed to block needed change. We hope that's not the case with this council.
The city in recent years has taken significant steps to mitigate the flooding problem in the area and more improvements are on the drawing board and ready to go once the necessary funding becomes available. And officials in Salem have expressed a willingness to work with their Tanner City counterparts on traffic improvements along the busy Main Street/Boston Street corridor.
What growth has occurred downtown in recent decades has hardly been ideal from either an aesthetic or economic standpoint. Maintaining the status quo there is a disservice both to the city as a whole, and to those currently working and living in the area.
