PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



td a major facelift in the past 25 years. • Bear Plaza once was an unattractive alley filled with debris and discarded appliances. 



"New Bern is a community where people 

 truly believe that a rising tide floats all boats. 

 People do things not necessarily to reap personal 

 rewards, but to see that all benefit," says Mike 

 Avery, New Bern's planning director. 



Case in point: A New Bern businessman 

 served as a liaison for the city to purchase a 

 building that was needed as a vital part of the 

 downtown improvement plan. 



"It was a modem building that filled in 

 between two historic buildings," Avery explains. 



Once the sale was complete, the city 

 demolished the building. Swiss Bear raised 

 $60,000 to redevelop the site as a pocket park. 

 Known as James Reed Lane, it provides a 

 pedestrian connection to interior parking between 

 two streets in the business district. 



SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS 



Revitalization efforts in many parts of the 

 country and state have fizzled due to lack of 

 interest over time, but not in New Bern, says 

 Main Street's Swink. That might be attributed 

 to the fact that, while New Bern has taken a 

 long-term approach, community leaders have 

 formulated a new urban design plan decade-by- 

 decade. "Setting out a series of improvement 

 goals is more manageable," he says. 



And, success has bred success. Since 

 New Bern adopted its first urban design plan, 

 Moffat says there has been a major increase in 



downtown property values — from $8.75 million 

 in 1979, to $42.3 million in 1994, and $63 

 million in 2003. Property values have increased 

 an average of 440 percent. Approximately 200 

 downtown businesses employ 2,300 people. 

 Tourism, now a major industry, generates more 

 than $70.4 million annually. 



More than $70 million has been invested 

 over the past 25 years in new construction and 

 renovation in the downtown area — four new 

 hotels, three marinas, seven blocks of streetscape 

 improvements, four new parking lots, and the 

 creation of two mid-block pedestrian parks. The 

 riverwalk that parallels the historic district along 

 the Trent River has given the public easy access 

 to the waterfront. 



In addition to storefront improvements, 

 the city has seen the renovation of upper-story 

 commercial building space for residential and 

 office use. 



The expansion and redevelopment of 

 the Union Point Park, a promontory at the 

 confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers, 

 provides a scenic gathering place for community 

 events. Its picturesque gazebo is a popular site 

 for wedding ceremonies. 



NEW URBAN PLAN 



An ambitious urban design plan adopted 

 in 2000 includes more than $100 million in 

 projects, according to Moffat. Swiss Bear's role 



will be to continue to build partnerships to attract 

 investments to implement the far-reaching ten- 

 year agenda. 



The new plan expands revitalization efforts 

 into Riverstation, an industrial area north of the 

 old railroad depot that includes many vacant and 

 underutilized buildings, and Five Points, a mixed 

 commercial and residential area. 



Also on tap is a 90-unit condo project, 

 streetscapes and a bridge replacement — all to be 

 completed by 2010 when New Bern celebrates its 

 tercentenery. 



For his part, Talton believes it all will 

 happen on schedule. "A lot has happened in 

 25 years, and a lot more is planned that will 

 absolutely happen because everyone bought into 

 the plan. Everyone is on board," he says. 



For information, contact: 



• Susan Moffat at Swiss Bear Downtown 

 Dex'eloprnent Corporation, 252/638-5781; or 



• Rodney Swink, N.C. Main Street Program, 

 919/733-2853, ext. 226. 



WANT TO GO? 



New Bern is a year-round destination 

 for tourists. More than 1 50 sites in New 

 Bern are on the National Register of 

 Historic Places. 



Ttyon Palace, built in 1 770 by 

 British Colonial Gov. William Tryon, is 

 the centerpiece of the historic district. 

 The palace and gardens were restored in 

 the 1 950s by the New Bern Preservation 

 Foundation. 



Popular tourist events include the 

 Spring Home Tour, April 8-9, sponsored 

 by the New Bern Historical Society (NBHS) 

 and the New Bern Preservation Foundation; 

 New Bern at Night Ghostwalk, Oct. 26-27, 

 sponsored by the NBHS; and Mumfest in 

 October, sponsored by Swiss Bear. 



Contacts: 



• Tryon Palace and Gardens, 

 252/514-4900; 



• Craven County Convention and 

 Visitors Bureau, 252/637-9400; 



• New Bern Area Chamber of 

 Commerce, 252/637-31 1 1 ; and 



• New Bern Historical Society, 

 252/638-8558. 



COASTWATCH 23 



