DANVILLE, Va. – Leaders in the River City have seen downtown Danville change with more small businesses opening.
They want to see the same trends in other parts of the city as well like the U.S. 29 corridor near the state line.
“Where Caesars is going to be, it’s an area in need for a long time and certainly now with Caesars coming in we want that welcome mat in the city to look as good as possible,” Danville Councilmember Lee Vogler said.
Vogler said the city conducted a study and looked at nine main corridors that needed a facelift.
Leaders say U.S. 29, where the casino will be, needs major improvement.
They say about 69% of the structures are in poor condition.
“We want to make sure we are not leaving other parts of our city behind,” Vogler said.
Another corridor that could use a spruce up is North Main at River Street.
Leaders said about 77% of structures there are in poor condition.
It’s why the mayor pleased to see improvements in that area like splash pads.
“If you started to go up North Main Hill, you started see to some wonderful things there. One of the areas we also chose is the 3rd Avenue area. You’re going to see wonderful things with growth as far as splash pads,” Danville Mayor Alonzo Jones said.
Businesses that have been in Danville for about a decade said they are looking forward to new businesses as well.
“It would be nice for us to be a sought-after place to visit or live,” Adam Jones, the owner of The Brick and Tri Store said.