What's on the ground in Downtown (Canton).

We went out to the site of the former Amtrak station to see what was left of the stop. A new business has recently occupied the former station with the stop left out back to rot. Very happy to see the new business showing up in Canton!

This is a relic of our past that we could use again. This stop has all of the opportunity to be a vibrant commercial area for the city (if they can get people there). This could be facilitated by the Hercules Plant project next door. The former engine/ice factory has already seen some remodeling done to turn part of the campus into luxury apartments. This is only a small portion of the building and more space is available to be retooled into retail/grocer/commercial space.

Imagine a pedestrian bridge or tunnel heading into your local grocer from your tram stop. This could be yet another viable station in a greater Canton Tram that saw a stop in-front of the Palace Theater, the new Hall of Fame Plaza, and finally Cleveland Ave near the nightlife venues. Here is a view of additional wasted space dedicated to Norfolk Southern:

There must be a way we/local government can force the development of these areas. We do not need to leave empty buildings in the hand of speculators. We can subsidize a better future by leaning on our history as the "Gateway to the Midwest." Would banning diesel locomotives within city limits encourage the rail lines to improve current right of ways and provide additional tracking?