By Randy Tucker
Enquirer staff writer

While the possibilities are endless, the resources for implementing many of the ideas for redeveloping Florence's main retail corridors - Mall Road and Houston Road - are decidedly limited. Florence City Manager Pat Wingo has been charged with finding a realistic approach to redeveloping the area that would make sense financially to those with a vested interest. With the help of Cincinnati retail guru Stan Eichelbaum, the city has already begun exploring ways to transform the retail corridors over the next several years into a tree-lined pedestrian district with high-end retail and residential offerings, new restaurants and entertainment venues.

Eichelbaum's firm, Marketing Developments Inc., brought in architects from Miami-based Beame Architects to explore different mixed-use concepts and etch some preliminary drawings.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN when you say you're trying to come up with a "realistic approach'' to the redevelopment of the Mall Road and Houston Road retail corridors?

There's a difference between good ideas and what will work. ... We have to make sure the developers would be able to make the recommended changes to their properties and be successful financially. It's fine to say, "Go out and do all this work." But if it doesn't make financial sense, they won't do it.

DO YOU THINK FLORENCE is in danger of losing its long-held distinction as the center of shopping in Northern Kentucky?

No. We've been the center of attention when it comes to shopping for a long time, and we intend to keep it that way. There is a reality, though, that we don't have some of the same shops here that they have other places. ... But at the same time, we have stores here that they don't have in other smaller communities. ... We do have a certain sharing of customers that occurs. We just want to keep more of those customers.

WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK about your plans have gotten from property owners, such as Florence Mall's owner General Growth Properties?

First, we don't know what our plan is yet. But the property owners with the biggest parcels I think recognize that they need to take steps to improve their properties to increase their competitiveness in this marketplace. I believe they are working in that direction, and I think there's a commitment on the part of developers and property owners to improve their property.