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mrkro3434 t1_iu0au3q wrote

> Expand the daily use of downtown beyond work by bolstering downtown's cultural, art, retail, services, and hospitality ecosystems

I just don't see this happening. 15+ years ago, you could walk around Newbury and the Back Bay and find cool niche places that would incentivize foot traffic and provide a reason to be there outside of work hours.

I don't see that ever returning unless someone has a magic wand they can wave to get rid of greed. The groups that own these building and spaces will always rent them out to banks or restaurant chains over an art gallery or mom and pop shop.

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Maxpowr9 t1_iu0pxy7 wrote

Most of Newbury St is owned by a consortium based in South Carolina. They give no fucks about Boston.

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man2010 t1_iu0cz5y wrote

Bank branches in major cities have been declining for years, and art galleries and small businesses still exist on Newbury St

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[deleted] t1_iu0eexx wrote

[deleted]

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man2010 t1_iu0otoj wrote

Franklin St isn't Newbury St which the previous commenter specifically mentioned, and I'm not sure why you're bringing it up. The city has had 39 bank closures since the pandemic started, and nationally the trend for over a decade has been more branch closures, especially in metropolitan areas and among larger banks. One street isn't representative of the larger trends.

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yacht_boy t1_iu16vdk wrote

I mean, it IS the financial district. I expect to see all the regional and national banks have offices and branches there. It makes sense for them to be in proximity to each other.

What I didn't need was a new Chase bank on Centre St in JP where there used to be a family-owned restaurant.

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