I want to thank Commissioners Adams and Saltzman on coordinating the redevelopment of the public property in St. John's. I think we as St. John's residents have an exciting opportunity to create something special in downtown. We could just sell it to a developer that makes a mixed use storefront/apartment complex, which might be nice, but let's expand on this boring idea. What about creating a space for a weekend open air market, gardens and courtyards with native (and maybe even rare) plants, and yes, maybe businesses around the perimeter. I'm thinking of a quiet (non rectangular) plaza found in parts of Europe with more gardens. I think we need to keep most of this property in public hands and have a forward thinking design that will attract the community and be a vibrant focal point long after the primary businesses change hands. We should retain some community control of this space and create something innovative, attractive, and sensitive to the st. john's community. Thanks!

Toby