Visions for Vacancies: A New Beginning at the Old Lowe’s Store

For nearly two years now, there has been little activity in the former location of Lowe’s Home Improvement on the east end of town. Cars go by now and again and a little work has been done, but there’s been no anchor store brought in to fill the vacant space.

Now we are asking you – if you could revamp the plaza, how would you fill the open space?

Let's call this a modern spin on community planning - Patch's version of a charette, a digital drawing board where all ideas are on the table.

Each week we'll present a new vacant building and ask you to tell us what you think would be the best use. Forget what zone it's in, ignore setback regulations, dump lot coverage rules and all the other zoning jargon that puts people most to sleep. If you had your way, what would you like to see there? What would be the best use for the community?

The location has been a bad luck location for businesses in the past decade, with Ames discount shop closing up in 2003 and trees even growing in the location where Lowe’s eventually announced they would be coming to town in 2005.

But success didn’t last long for Lowe’s either. Now we are asking you to find a permanent solution for the troubled store location.

Forget rumors and work. If you could bring any business to the plaza – or even just tear down the store – what would you choice be? How would you fill the location once and for all to finally make the particular spot thrive again and work with the businesses already in the plaza?

Tell Us: What's the best way to move forward with the East Main Street business space?

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