The central business district (CBD) was where most business, government, and cultural activity was centered in a community. Albert Lea was no different from most towns. Historically, this made sense because it allowed people to purchase food, clothing, legal services, entertainment, etc., in close proximity to one another.

In the 1850s when Albert Lea was founded, nobody had cars, few had horses, and running around town for goods and services was virtually impossible. In the 1950s we had excellent bus service where, for 10 cents, one could ride from virtually anywhere to the downtown area.

What possible function does a 150-year-old downtown serve in the 21st century? When we have enclosed malls and cars, why would we want to hang onto this relic from the past? Most of the buildings are old, they are hard to heat, parking is limited, and going from store to store in the winter is a challenge. The mall seems so much more inviting.

Albert Lea isn’t unique in having virtually abandoned their CBD. Many towns, including Albert Lea, are in the process of taking the next step in urban development. The big-box phenomenon is now taking hold in our town. With the Super Wal-Mart we will have two big box stores on the edge of town and these will attract other big boxes. The outlots surrounding these stores will attract smaller stores which will share the transit lanes, parking, and clientele drawn to the area by the super stores.

Doesn’t this just reinforce the futility of attempting to maintain our former business district? Not everyone thinks so. Modern city planners and developers have rediscovered a concept that we abandoned 35 years ago. This &uot;new&uot; concept is the sense of community. All across the nation and throughout Minnesota we are seeing the reemergence of the town center concept. This pattern brings everything back together again in one place.

Don’t misunderstand. The Mall of America and Home Depot are not in any imminent danger. The town center re-combines housing, entertainment, shopping, and business services. Many metro and rural Minnesota communities are investing millions of dollars in their downtown areas. Albert Lea is almost unique in that we didn’t have enough on the ball in the 1970s to tear down the old buildings in the business district. Consequently, we have one of the largest intact historical districts of any town our size in Minnesota. Furthermore, we have obtained historic district designation for three blocks of Broadway and will be expanding the district this summer. Many of our neighboring communities envy us for what we have to work with.

Unfortunately, most of us have not yet warmed up to the potential that our CBD affords our town. Currently, our downtown serves as a place to obtain inexpensive rents and those businesses that survive manage to do so because they tend to attract destination shoppers. In other words, some shops such as Best Buy Paper, Brick, Fisher Jewelers, Stadheim’s, Plymouth Shoes, The Constant Reader, and Andersen’s Hallmark, for example, draw people direct to their stores. Casual shopping is not the rule downtown anymore.

What are the assets of the downtown? A large historic district on the historic register, extensive second-floor living space, wide streets, beautiful location on the lake, new/historic government complex, buildings ideal for renovation, affordable real estate costs, retail trade center status, and open space for more development of multi-family housing.

What are the liabilities? High renovation costs to restore store fronts and residential spaces, no historic preservation ordinance, spotty existing retail, tight money and skeptical bankers.

More important, there is no consensus in the community that our downtown is worthy of redevelopment. While other communities around us have seen the future, we have not. Our downtown business community is not organized. At the present time, it’s every business for itself. The concept that &uot;we must hang together or we will surely hang alone&uot; has not manifested itself in Albert Lea. There are at least two reasons why this attitude must change. First, the condition of our downtown is a reflection of how we feel about our community. Visitors and residents alike will draw conclusions about our attitudes and priorities from their visits to downtown.

Secondly, there is great potential for rebuilding our sense of community in Albert Lea if we can restore our downtown. By this, I don’t mean an attempt to return the business district to what we had in the 1950s. Those times are past and will not return. We need to reinvent the downtown and find a new mission for it to perform in the community.

Tony Trow is an Albert Lea resident and president of Destination: Albert Lea. His column appears Mondays.