Spirit of 76 Project

[Dewayne]

Im very conservative. I dont think anybody in this world wants the earth and all its creatures to survive, more than I do.

[Dewayne]

Again Joy, I agree. I feel like other people are getting that feel like its a run-down, Hillbilly/redneck, wanna be version of Vegas. But I dont see it that way either, even though lots of stuff is going out or isnt looking to good, which is making it feel that way. I grew up in Branson and I think this would be a good idea, but like I said, how would they have room for trees, bigger sidewalk, and parking spaces along 76? Its already narrow and cant hold much more between the buildings as it is. Thats just how they built everything. They didnt expect sonething like this, in the past, to happen now. I dont know how its gonna happen, but Im very excited to see how it works out and what it looks like. I cant wait for the construction to start!

[Swoosh]

I think the issue is that growth went unchecked for so long that now that it is starting to retract we have no rhyme or reason to where stuff is located.  The Strip is way too long for anyone to really walk it if they wanted to.  I have no desire to attempt to walk from the old Ray Stevens Theater to Dixie Stampede. 

If the town had had any sense they would have put zoning in as to where theaters could be built.  If there was a dedicated theater area it would have benefited everyone.  As is, we have a bunch of rundown rotting theaters that are not in use (and then some are now churches - which is awesome, but doesn't really do much to attract tourism).

[Dewayne]

True, but none of that is good to me. The theater part, I mean.

[chittlins]

I think the issue is that growth went unchecked for so long that now that it is starting to retract we have no rhyme or reason to where stuff is located.  The Strip is way too long for anyone to really walk it if they wanted to.  I have no desire to attempt to walk from the old Ray Stevens Theater to Dixie Stampede. 

If the town had had any sense they would have put zoning in as to where theaters could be built.  If there was a dedicated theater area it would have benefited everyone.  As is, we have a bunch of rundown rotting theaters that are not in use (and then some are now churches - which is awesome, but doesn't really do much to attract tourism).

The way they allowed building reminds me of Springdale Ar. They got a clue.a couple of years ago and everything on the west side has some hope but 2/3s of the city is just trashed.

[Dewayne]

No way! I think Springdale is a very nice town.

[Joy]

If you browse through that proposal book, Laroy, you'll see that they cover the issue of space. They show how they would move parking to the side or back of buildings for the sake of making the fronts more visually appealing and giving the space needed for the road and sidewalk rehauls.

And from what I remember of the book (it's been a while since I read it), they kinda do go the route of "zoning" in an unofficial way. They divide the strip into specific areas, starting from Branson Landing all the way up to Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. Within each specific areas, they layout where current buildings are and how things can be built up around them or over them (the abandoned/rundown places). Each area has parks and nature trails laid out, and more.

Again, I urge everyone to even just skim through that book and look at the pictures. They have a very amazing, specific plan for all aspects of 76 in-town, and it's beautiful!

[shavethewhales]

I think the issue is that growth went unchecked for so long that now that it is starting to retract we have no rhyme or reason to where stuff is located.  The Strip is way too long for anyone to really walk it if they wanted to.  I have no desire to attempt to walk from the old Ray Stevens Theater to Dixie Stampede. 

The unchecked growth is definitely the problem, but everyone is still discounting the massive impact of making the area walkable. It's not necessarily about being able to walk the entire thing - just simply being about to park one place and walk around a bit makes a huge difference. It is also how districts start to form since the most attractive areas on the strip will be the most walked and therefore have the most development sprout up. I mean if you could park at a theatre for a show, then walk to a nearby go-kart place (for example), then walk to a nearby restaurant that cuts out a lot of hectic driving around.

The older generation around here simply can't seem to understand this. They've grown up literally driving from lot to lot even when they're right next door to each other and they can't understand why anyone would want to walk anywhere. It's definitely the right move for my generation though because most of us want to be able to get out and walk around an interesting urban area vs. being stuck in traffic all day.

[Junior, too!]

Would you support a good bus or tram system, maybe a monorail from Branson Landing to the SDC parking lot? Do you think a project like that could get support?

[Dewayne]

I really love this idea. This will certainly keep me staying longer, by giving everybody interesting stuff to look at or go into that I have always wanted to. Im glad I will be able to get anywhere by way of walking or trolley. I like it when I have a chance to ride something, instead of me driving. This way, I can look around at all the sights, I wont cause a wreck, and nobody can blame it on me. Although, the closest trolley stop near SDC that I see, is at the Overlook. Im hoping that I can take the trolley from Branson Landing to SDC and back, without walking 2 miles just to get there. I give them a standing ovation for an excellent idea. 👏👏👏

Does anybody know when the construction for this will start and when it will be done?

[Junior, too!]

I just threw the bus/trolley/monorail idea out for general conversation, I don't think it is part of the plan.

[Pudgy Jones]

Monorail? I hear those things are awfully loud...

(Simpsons reference that I couldn't pass up!)

[Dewayne]

Lol ^^^ Simpsons.

But no, most Monorails Ive seen in videos were pretty silent, even though some could be loud.

[runner1960]

I just threw the bus/trolley/monorail idea out for general conversation, I don't think it is part of the plan.

Good option but expensive. Light rail might be a better choice. It would be great if they had done this instead of building all the roads in the 1990's. Central parking lots at major stops. Actually Electric street cars or trolleys would add to the atmosphere.

[Dewayne]

Yes, but I think train travel would be better because you need less space for the tracks to lay, in width. Plus, everybody loves trains. I wish we could go back and forth from north branson to south branson along the tracks for free. We dont have many tracks in Branson, but we might as well use them all we can for free travel.