Editor's Notebook: Envisioning the Future of Downtown Scotch Plains and Fanwood

Last week was a big one for downtown Westfield, as it put its best foot forward for the judges of the America in Bloom contest.

America in Bloom is an annual competition for central retail business districts that assesses communities based on their tidiness, community involvement, environmental effort, heritage preservation, urban forestry, landscaped areas, floral displays, and turf and ground coverage.  

The Downtown Westfield Corporation spent months preparing for the judges’ arrival, planting an array of flowers all around town in hopes of winning the top prize. Westfield was up against three other small towns with populations of 20,000 to 50,000: Collierville, TN, Junction City, KS, and Michigan City, IN.

As our neighboring town got all the attention last week, it got me thinking about the futures of downtown Scotch Plains and downtown Fanwood.

Much talk is happening in both towns about improving the downtown districts.

Fanwood has extensive plans for new condos, stores and other attractions at the heart of its center. And in Scotch Plains, the Scotch Plains Management Corps. is working to raise awareness of the businesses that exist and attract new retail to the area for the future.

Both towns are making considerable progress as they try to improve the core of their communities. But as we start to move forward, I think it’s worth examining where we are now, and where we're trying to go.

I know a lot of thought has been given to this very issue by the leaders in both towns, but I think it’s important for us to keep revisiting the question throughout the process.

What do we want the downtowns of Scotch Plains and Fanwood to look like in the future?

Should they be a bustling place for commerce like Westfield, where national chains are intermixed with local stores? Or should we try our best to preserve the easy-living, small-town feel that currently exists?

I think the answer is to try to accomplish a bit of both.

There’s no question that the downtowns of Scotch Plains and Fanwood have their fair share of charm.

After a school sports game, it sometimes feels like the whole town shows up at The Double Dipper Cafe in Fanwood for an ice cream. In Scotch Plains, kids regularly convene at A Little Shop of Comics. And if they're not there, they can surely be in Alfonso’s grabbing a slice of pizza.

What I’ve come to love about both towns (and I know others agree), is that they do have that old-timey feel that’s becoming harder to find elsewhere. Walking down Park Avenue or South Martine Avenue sometimes feels like walking into the past, where everyone knows everyone and shop owners can be seen hanging out of the doors of their storefronts, waving to passerby.

I don’t think anyone wants the two towns to be stagnant, for change is usually a good thing. But just as Westfield deserves national recognition for its downtown beauty, so too, I think, do Scotch Plains and Fanwood deserve praise for the character they already have.

While future improvements will surely make the two downtowns better, it's important to try and preserve what we have now.

What do you think? What’s your vision for downtown Scotch Plains and downtown Fanwood? Send me your thoughts at Lindsay@patch.com.