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It's interesting to study the shift that has taken place over the past 70 years when it comes to downtowns -- primarily downtown living.
There was a time when families chose to live in downtown Wheeling, or just adjacent to downtown in neighborhoods such as East Wheeling and Center Wheeling. They chose that for convenience -- families had at most one car, and by living near downtown it was easy to get to work, school, entertainment and shopping.
That changed with urban sprawl, when many families moved out of the downtown core and to the suburbs to get their slice of the American Dream -- the white picket fence and neatly manicured lawn.
That's changing, though, and the evidence is right before us.
This past week, Toni DiCarlo hosted a groundbreaking ceremony downtown for the new DiCarlo Building. The Main Street building -- to be constructed on the former Reichart Furniture lot -- will feature upscale living. There are seven condominiums planned, along with a space for her family's pizza parlor.
The best part? Most of the condominiums already are rented.
DiCarlo said she never planned to build downtown living, she just wanted a place for her pizza shop. City code prohibits buildings smaller than three stories downtown, though, so if she wanted her own location, she needed a plan.
DiCarlo said her sister introduced her to builder Tom Janidas of the Medco Co., who was familiar with building condos.
"He coached me on how I could affordably build my pizza shop, and do the condos and make it affordable," she said. "It will be so nice owning my own space for my business, and not having to lease anymore. I'm getting into my golden years. ... I'm working towards my retirement."
Two future tenants came out for the groundbreaking -- Jerry and Lillian Myles of Wheeling. They like the location for its ease of access to recreation, dining and entertainment. "It seemed like a good place that would have everything you would want," Jerry Myles said.
That's what downtown is becoming -- a place for convenience living. There's no grass to cut, no maintenance to consider. When it's festival season, you can meander to the waterfront and relax. It's a shame more people don't see it.
Downtown is re-emerging -- of that there is no doubt. The commitment and investment of local residents such as Toni DiCarlo is making all the difference in forging the future.