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WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT <br />DOWNTOWN PARIS? <br />(And Is It True ?) <br />There are no businesses in downtown, so <br />why bother going there? There are in fact <br />over loo businesses in downtown Paris, <br />including eleven restaurants. <br />There is nothing downtown but a bunch of <br />antique stores. There are eight antique <br />stores. They are outnumbered by <br />restaurants (11), retailers (22), and service <br />related businesses (53). There are also six <br />venues for arts and entertainment, a <br />farmers' market, churches, civic buildings, <br />and three parks. <br />damage. There was one violent crime <br />reported in three years. <br />There is nowhere to park! There are a total <br />of 1,169 parking spaces in downtown. At no <br />time are they all full except for special <br />events like parades and festivals. <br />If you can find a place to park, it is too far <br />away. The city recently prepared a diagram <br />overlaying the Wal -Mart property onto <br />downtown Paris. The overlay covered from <br />Houston to Kaufman and from 2nd to 1st <br />Empty spaces in downtown and full spaces <br />at Wal -Mart suggest this is a perception <br />only and not a real problem. <br />The city's fire marshal is unreasonable. In <br />the past the marshal worked hard to ensure <br />Downtown Paris is <br />downtown fire safety and at times may <br />just too dangerous. <br />have been unwilling to negotiate solutions. <br />Studies have shown <br />However, the current marshal and chief are <br />the crime rate in <br />dedicated to working closely to partner <br />downtown is no <br />with downtown owners and developers. <br />higher than in the <br />rest of the city, and <br />the overall crime rate in Paris has declined <br />for three straight years. A two -year analysis <br />of police reports in downtown show three <br />hit - and -run calls, and eleven property <br />It is impossible to redevelop anv of the old <br />buildings because of ridiculous fire <br />sprinklering requirements. The city will <br />work with and negotiate compliance issues; <br />in many cases, only certain portions of <br />4/27/16 <br />buildings will need to be sprinklered, and <br />that is usually at a very affordable cost. <br />Many downtown buildings are too small to <br />even need a system at all. In addition, the <br />city is replacing water lines and adding fire <br />connections on every block to make fire <br />sprinklering easier and cheaper. <br />You lust cannot work with the Historical <br />Preservation Commission; thev won't let <br />anyone do anythin>Y! We have had a few <br />instances in the past where the HPC may <br />have been overprotective of historic <br />downtown buildings. However, the <br />structure, oversite and composition of the <br />commission have changed. Over 93% of all <br />requests are approved. <br />It is going to take 5ioo of thousands to <br />refurbish an old building and make it <br />functional. That is rarely the case. <br />Certainly a building in disrepair can be <br />expensive, and opening a restaurant <br />anywhere can be expensive due to <br />requirements for venting, sprinklering, <br />exits, etc. But downtown buildings can be <br />a low cost alternative to other locations for <br />many businesses. In addition, there are <br />