Yes, it would ruin the symmetry.
And, yes, the idea of a downtown pocket plaza was pretty compelling.
And, yes, it could spoil the view for some.
But all in all, Traverse City would probably be a lot better off if someone was able to make a go of plans for a five-story building at the corner of Front and Park streets.
Back in 2001, Texas-based radio mogul Roy Henderson had high hopes for a five-story mixed-use building on the northwest corner there and went so far as to have a foundation dug and a host of iron-reinforced cement piers erected.
But a series of disputes with the city over building height, the facade and other issues stalled the project long enough for financial problems to catch up. When the economy went sour, Henderson halted work and the hole in the ground has been there ever since.
Just days after endorsing the basics of a feel-good idea to turn the hole in the ground into a plaza where people could stroll or eat lunch, Henderson dropped the other shoe last week -- he had signed a $2 million purchase agreement with Thom Darga of Suttons Bay-based Big Olives LLC that included the hole in the ground, the foundations, building drawings, designs, permits and construction materials.
While Darga said he'd be happy to talk with former Mayor Margaret Dodd -- who floated the plaza idea -- he was confident he'd be putting up a building, not a park.
"(I'm) in the process of lining up tenants for that space," he said.
If Darga does build, it will put Traverse City out of kilter again. Now, Henderson's hole in the ground perfectly book-ends the hole in the ground at the other end of Front Street, where Federated Properties had planned to build a mixed-use building on the former Grand Traverse Auto site, but quit.
As holes go, the Federated site is a relative newcomer, having been created just last year; and there are no concrete foundations or steel rebar. Just weeds.
But they were alike enough to have possibly caused some confusion -- you could no longer just say "Go to the big hole in the ground and turn left."
In the end, however, a five-story building with a couple ground-floor retail spaces, some offices and possibly even a few condos would be a welcome contribution to downtown and the tax base.
This is not to say Mr. Darga shouldn't be forced to jump through all the hoops everyone else is expected to jump through, nor is it an endorsement of a five-story over a four-story or whatever building. Those things must all yet be worked out.
There will be, however, something to be said for the days when Traverse City was -- as some of its residents no doubt will continue to think, no matter what -- more holey than any other town in the state.
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