This is the third story in a five-part series exploring the two mayoral candidates' views on the most pressing issues in Durham.
In the past decade, signs of modernization have sprouted up among the fading exteriors and vacant lots of downtown Durham, and recently the city has begun its preliminary downtown master plan. Both candidates in next Tuesday's mayoral election-incumbent Nick Tennyson and city council member Floyd McKissick-have made continued revitalization an integral part of their plans for the city.
"It appears that everybody running for mayor and city council... [is] very supportive of smart growth, and, in particular, bringing investment in the downtown and central city," said Bill Kalkhof, president of Downtown Durham, Inc., a non-profit downtown revitalization group.
But exactly what this growth should be and how it should be achieved remains contentious.
McKissick said he favors tearing down many old buildings that give the city a run-down appearance. "We need to get rid of the eyesores-the things that are visually unattractive," he said.
McKissick added that an ideal downtown would be one with a vibrant landscape, viable commercial activity and a higher density of residential use. He envisions an institutional governmental center with a viable commercial component and structures that look architecturally distinguished.
McKissick said he acknowledged that his visions for the city cannot be realized quickly.
"The critical thing to understand is what you see today is the result of 30 to 40 years of decline," he said. "That decline will not reverse overnight, but we have made significant improvements of revitalizing our urban core [in the past few years]."
Although he also said that aesthetics are
"We need to do everything to change the image concerning safety," Tennyson said.
He noted that past surveys reflect that people have an overall negative impression of Durham. "Women don't feel safe downtown; it is not safe enough," he said. "We need to have good police patrolling."
Tennyson added that he wants downtown to be a business and arts area. "I want it to be an area of office development with some commercial aspects and a lot of arts and entertainment and baseball," he said.
Both candidates said their agendas will encourage public and private investments for downtown revitalization.
Tennyson said the city needs to match private funds with public funds to create interest in the beginning.
"The public believes in the value of downtown revitalization," Tennyson said. "And I do personally believe that and we need to be ready to make investments."
Similarly, McKissick suggested creating public-private partnerships programs to acquire strategic properties and redevelop them.
Kalkhof said that attracting businesses to downtown Durham requires a mayor who can sell the city to investors, a role which he said Tennyson has played quite well during his two years as mayor.
"Nick is really good, because he's really knowledgeable, he's personable and he's real straightforward," he said, adding both that he has not worked with McKissick extensively and that his partially publicly funded group is not supporting either candidate.
Both candidates said that the effective use of office space is an important part of the city's revitalization.
Tennyson said downtown has great possibilities for being an "area
"If we can get the office utilization that I think we can, the word I begin to use is not change, but transforming," he said. "It will be a transformation."
McKissick agreed. "I see in the long term a greater percentage of mixed use of development," he said. "We need to be able to provide office space. This is critical."
He noted that downtown's location near Research Triangle Park creates the prospect of luring companies into the city.
"There is real opportunity for attracting firms who need office space right to downtown," he said.
The candidates suggest slightly different ideas for changing downtown's image.
Tennyson said that along with inadequate parking, downtown's nearby competitors, the South Square area and Chapel Hill, have negatively affected downtown growth and development.
"Competition [with other areas of the city] is the biggest problem," he said. "Parking needs to be more accessible and convenient."
McKissick said the city needs to encourage more people living and working in downtown before any of the businesses that were once there will return.
"The thing we have to remember is that it will take a critical mass of population, income, commercial and retail service [for growth and development]," he said. "Most importantly, providing jobs is critical for bringing in people," McKissick said.
Kalkhof added that effective downtown revitalization requires a dedicated mayor.
"It will take political courage for the mayor to lead the effort, because every dollar that you invest in downtown, that's a dollar that you don't put somewhere else," he said.
Matt Davis, Meg Lawson, Christine Parkins and Richard Rubin contributed to this story.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.