Envisioning King Street as an “Amazing Place”

I have distinct memories of my first look at King Street in downtown Leesburg.  It was in October 1988, the night before my job interview with the Loudoun County government.  I had driven downtown from my motel to find the building where I would have my interview, and to figure out where I would park.

I remember strolling along the sidewalk, marveling at the old buildings, so different from what I would be leaving in California.  It was dark, quiet – virtually no signs of nightlife.  There was a sign in a tavern window – “Better Off Here Than Across the Street.”  I chuckled and turned my attention to the beautiful courthouse across the street.  The sign led me to wonder if there was also a jail nearby.  (There was.)

I admired the quaint beauty of the downtown.  For some reason, Dickens came to mind.  It occurred to me that this was one King Street that was named not after the legendary civil rights leader, but after the King of England, at a time when the King still ruled here. 

Fast-forward 22-plus years, to a meeting in a vacated storefront on South King Street.

Last week, a group of King Street business owners – joined by assorted architects, planners, attorneys, and other local professionals – gathered in the first of a series of four design workshops to begin to develop a joint vision for Downtown Leesburg.  More specifically, they were discussing how to make the two-block stretch of King Street straddling Market Street an “amazing place,” a term attributed to Mike Carroll, owner of the Leesburg Vintner.

This was a volunteer effort led by the “Voices of Downtown” – stakeholders in the future of King Street.  Facilitated by Milton Herd of Herd Planning & Design, the group hoped ultimately to reach consensus on a vision for the downtown that would represent a “win-win” – one that all parties would feel was an improvement over existing plans.  The design workshops are scheduled to continue in May, with a finished product to be delivered to the Leesburg Town Council in June.

Over the course of the evening, many appealing ideas were brought forward – sidewalk cafes, festivals, public art, a cultural center, a food court.  Attorney Peter Burnett said that downtown Leesburg needed something to identify it, to set it apart from other places and make people want to come here.  Examples of appealing downtowns were cited – Annapolis, Middleburg, Georgetown.

Someone remarked that two people need to be able to walk down the sidewalk side by side.  If they try that now, they have to dodge streetlights and parking meters, not to mention other pedestrians.

Parking was perhaps the biggest issue.  Previous plans have called for eliminating some or most of the parking spaces along King Street, to allow for outdoor
dining and a more pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare.  The opposition to such plans by some downtown business owners is one of reasons this design team has gone back to the drawing board, in search of that win-win solution.

Architect Alan Hanson, of DBI Architects, suggested a possible compromise: “convertible” parking spaces that could be blocked off periodically by bollards, allowing for temporary expansion of the sidewalk area.

As I listened to the exchange of ideas during the workshop, I was reminded of a trip I took to the Midwest a few years ago.  I travelled to several small towns in Iowa,
researching my family tree.  The trip took me to several downtown courthouses and libraries, and left me with an indelible impression of small town middle America at that point in time.

Unfortunately, many of these downtowns were dying.  The courthouse squares were dominated by empty storefronts.  There might be one restaurant to cater to the courthouse crowd, and maybe a couple of bars.  Even so, it wasn’t hard to imagine the vitality of these downtowns during their heyday, maybe a hundred years ago.

A few months after that trip, a family member from California came to visit in Leesburg, and we spent some time strolling around downtown Leesburg.  His impression?  Leesburg’s downtown really seemed to be thriving. There were relatively few vacant storefronts, and there was a lot of activity at the stores and restaurants.

So, everything is relative. I feel that, compared to most small towns, downtown Leesburg is doing pretty well.  But King Street has a way to go to become the “amazing place” that was discussed at the design workshop.

This was brought home to me at 8:30 that evening, when I stepped outside with a friend and looked up and down the street for a place to go get a cup of coffee or a beer.  It was dark and quiet, almost deserted, not unlike my first night on King Street, over 20 years ago – as if the sidewalks had already been rolled up.

But later, on my way back to my car, I passed the open door of the Wine Kitchen, and heard the sounds of laughter and conversation.  Hey, it’s a start.