| Big Radio News Staff |
The city of Janesville’s downtown ARISE Town Square turns five this year.
But the initial concept for what has been a $30-million public-private revival of downtown’s riverfront – the plan called ARISEnow – celebrates an even bigger birthday. It turns 10.
It has been a decade since the city capitalized on its plan to rip out the parking deck over the Rock River and build a multi-use town square on both sides of the riverfront downtown.
Mick Gilbertson is a downtown property owner and a booster of the ARISE model. He says the ongoing revival downtown has developers in serious talks over new market-rate apartments. He says one apartment project could come to a lot along South River Street next to the town square.
Kegane Rynes bought Raven’s Wish art gallery on West Milwaukee Street last year. She says events like the downtown farmers market being held at the town square – a move that came through the ARISE plan – bring a boost in foot traffic and return customers that seems to keep growing.
She says ambitious small business startups now outnumber vacant storefronts downtown. That has brought what she calls ‘strength in numbers.’
