Director's Take

What’s Not to Love

02-11-2026

Dear Friend of Downtown,

February is the month of love, and lately, I’m really loving the amount of conversation and action around office conversion projects in our Downtown!
 
Two major hotel announcements at the former Brown-Williamson and Humana towers, a new bagel shop and short-term rentals at an old pharmacy on the corner of 5th and Market, 106 new apartments at the former Fiscal Court building, and the list is growing.
 
The importance of being able to keep these buildings is no small thing… it means we get to keep a solid street wall with some architecturally significant buildings that just don’t get built anymore. It means that people will walk by these buildings and have something to do and a reason to enter, creating more foot traffic and activity. It means that pieces of our city’s history and legacy remain in place, and we can appreciate how far we’ve come.
 
Adaptive reuse of buildings takes blood, sweat, and tears… and lots of money. Knowing how hard it is makes me even more excited about the hard work of developers and property owners who also appreciate and love our Downtown.
 
Keep the loving flowing… hope to see you on the streets soon.