Paramount Theatre CEO/president Tim Rater, left, presents a check for $51,754.10 to mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, at Tuesday’s media briefing at City Hall. The money was raised for the Aurora Strong Community Fund from patrons of the Paramount’s Broadway musical The Producers. Mayor Irvin said the Aurora Strong Community Fund continues to grow. Visitors from 496 cities and six states contributed.
• Information for the Route 59 Corridor Study was presented. The Route 59 corridor is the second largest commercial corridor in the State, second to Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Tuesday of last week, the City Council approved the Route 59 Corridor Study as a guide to redevelopment.
Trevor Dick, the city’s director of development strategy and facilitation, said the plan is a guiding document. It can change and is not set in stone and meant to be flexible. The city government was host to an open house in December 2018. The study states retail trends continue to show more consumers shop online to take market share from traditional retailers. Retailers once were rewarded for opening many locations, with square footage almost synonymous with the success of a business. As shopping habits have shifted to online, brick-and-mortar stores have become expensive and redundant. The location of the Corridor as a regional draw and destination present unique opportunities to expand and maximize successful development initiatives.
A video of the media briefing can be seen at facebook.com/thevoice.us.
Jason Crane/The Voice