For sometime, there has been a lot of talk about what is happening on the Greencastle square. This all started with the Stellar Initiative in 2011 in which one of the key points was to revitalize the square and the businesses there.
Sue Murray, Mayor of Greencastle said that, “[The hope is] that we have more options for Greencastle to become more of a destination for people to come to instead of driving out to go to different restaurants, we will have people driving in to be part of what is happening here…that it is a lively city center.”
In order to put this plan into action the city started by identifying and addressing the two major drawbacks for business on the square, the limited access to parking and the unappealing storefronts.
As for the next steps are after the construction is completed Murray said, “to come up with a concentrated marketing effort to fill those areas.”
As for now, there are no opening dates or even concrete plans for what might fill the spaces. The city is helping to bring restaurants to the square by working to limit some of the barriers potential restaurant owners may face. Falling under a 2005 statute previously written specifically for Valparaiso, Indiana ,the courthouse square qualifies as a historic downtown district with the proper requirements which allows the city 10 extra liquor licenses.
"It gives the city a little bit of ability to build it’s inventory of restaurants if you will, in a unique kind of way," Murray said.
Students agree that building an inventory of restaurants on the square would benefit not only DePauw University students but the Greencastle community as well.
The location of the square is also key.
“I think that it’s incredibly more convenient to have restaurants on the square, especially as a person of legal drinking age, because it reduces a lot of transportation issues," said junior Olivia Muller. "It would bring significantly more attention and popularity to the square and create a more centralized community area that caters to both Greencastle residents and DePauw students.”
Finding a business that caters to both the Greencastle residents and the DePauw community can be difficult, especially in a town of 10,000 where a majority of the students leave for the summer. Although Murray pointed out that it is important to look at the successes so far, such as Starbucks.
“In the first 10 months they exceeded their first year expectations and they continue to do that," said Murray. "It says something that the demographics of Greencastle don’t really tell the story about what can succeed here."
The Mayor did not mention anything specific, but students seem to have their own ideas on what might be successful in town.
“I would really like to see a nice steakhouse come to town," said sophomore Tom Kryspin. "There are plenty of times where I could really go for one but the nearest one is over a half hour away."
DePauw students are busy and some see more of an opening for food on-the-go in town.
“I see more opportunities for any business that had prepackaged/ready to go food options for students as well as locals," said sophomore Ben Hatchett. "The courthouse is always busy and has a wide array of offices and government workers that I'm sure would go get food at a place next to their offices.”
Hatchett mentioned that he sees catering to the community as important because the majority of the campus leaves for the summer months. This fact alone can be unappealing to business owners.
Another question to consider is would students eat out on the square while they are in school?
“I think putting in more restaurants would help us get more involved in Greencatle, especially if we could use our Tiger Card,” said first-year Anna Abrahamson.
The Tiger Card may be a draw for students with a meal plan. However there are many students on this campus that live in Greek housing. Hatchett, for example, lives in Sigma Chi, which is catered by Bon Appetit.
“Bon Appetit does a great job, but once Friday hits I’m ready for something different and I can justify spending for food on the weekends since I have food at my house during the week," Hatchett said.
A larger variety of accessible restaurants would be more of an asset to students that are fed a reduced number of meals in their Greek housing on weekends.
While the student demand may be present, and rumors may circulate, the spaces on the square need to continue to be marketed to potential buyers.
Said Murray: “To date, there is nobody who’s signed anything, there are no commitments anywhere but there are a number of people talking to a number of people.”