Alleyway Rejected for Newark Avenue Plan

The long held dream of redeveloping Newark Avenue took a temporary sidetrack last week when council members began pursuing the idea of building a European style paseo between Newark Avenue and Columbus Drive. The land would have been seized through eminent domain and taken advantage of a recently cleared lot -- a summer fire destroyed the historic building that sat on the land.

The council has since rejected the idea though after negative reactions from the community. Newark Avenue is still in need of development. While some restaurants and bars have opened in the last year, many of the store fronts are vacant, while others house discount stores that do little to attract shoppers from outside of the downtown.

Reconstruction of the sidewalks and new lampposts are seen as one way of enticing new stores and shoppers. JC Concstruction posted a photo of the lot.