It reminds me of what happened in Manchester, Vt. (once a picturesque community), when the planners and officials put their heads together and decided what was best for that once beautiful New England town.
Today, it is one horrific traffic jam as thousands of bargain shoppers from New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Canada pour in to feast on all the great values to be found in the discount stores. There one finds Anne Klein, Brooks Brothers, Burberry’s, Calvin Klein, Coach, Cole-Haan, Colours by Alexander Julian, Dexter, Donna Karan, Dooney & Bourke, Ellen Tracy, Escada, Esprit, Fat Hat, Garnet Hill, Giorgio Armani, Herdsmen Leather, Hickey Freeman, J. Crew, Johnston & Murphy, Jones New York, Levi’s, Liz Claiborne, London Fog, Mondi, Nautica, Orvis, Overland Outfitters, Polo, Tattersall’s, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, Vermont Flannel and Versace.
Could that happen in quiet Pinehurst? Well, if we had the 35 new retail shops built as envisioned by the NewCore plan, all but one of the above marketers could find a welcome home here. Is this the best way to develop once-halcyon Pinehurst?
It should give one pause because our village would be seriously impacted by overstoring. Ironically, the very large, municipal garage planned could not hold a twentieth of the cars such an influx of shoppers would generate.
One admits that the area under discussion badly needs important zoning and planning work to be done. But why not begin by suggesting to the planner that a minimalist approach, rather than the ambitious one we’ve just been exposed to, might be more suitable for our precious resort community?
Paul R. Dunn
Pinehurst
