2023 Freetown DAT Report - Flipbook - Page 34
Freetown DAT
Further afield from the Government Wharf and
waterfront, all of downtown can be transformed with a
few key improvements. Public investments can begin
with very small investments (see Connecting Residents
and Visitors to Freetown’s History – Freetown Heritage
Trail that follows this section) and extend to larger
projects, such as making the current post office site
available for redevelopment.
The first major investment is likely to be one or two small
boutique hotels envisioned for the waterfront in existing
buildings. This will attract future investment in such
areas as the current post office site (if the government
is willing to make that available for redevelopment)
and other underutilized sites. These sites could then
attract and leverage larger hotel development, with
the opportunity for hotels to capitalize on the potential
for a larger conference-style hotel with easy access to
downtown and views of the water and the mountains.
Currently, most visitors stay in existing hotels in
Aberdeen and elsewhere in Freetown, with only a few
rooms available in or near downtown. Relatively small
investments (e.g., see the next section on a Freetown
Heritage Trail) can quickly make downtown, with its
high concentration of heritage sites that are attractive
to residents, tourists, and Diaspora visitors, the heart of
Freetown..
In the short term, those investments that can be
developed almost immediately with very little investment
would attract residents as well as visitors currently who
rely on existing hotels and restaurants (predominately
in Aberdeen). At the start, this might simply attract
visitors already staying Aberdeen to stay an extra day in
downtown. That increased visitation would provide proof
of concept to begin to attract significant private-sector
downtown investments.
The outdoor market that leads from the Government Wharf access roadway to Big Market and up to Wallace Johnson Road can be a stronger place maker and benefit from better
wayfinding. These steps can drive more business to the outdoor market and Big Market.
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