Downtown Anchorage businesses are stressed. Advocates hope new projects will revitalize the area.

Rick Goodfellow ran Ghost Tours of Anchorage for 20 years earlier deciding to adjacent this year. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

For 20 years, Rick Goodfellow ran Ghost Tours of Anchorage. In his trademark apical hat, he led groups of mostly visitors done downtown, telling shade stories and school section history.

But now nan business is closed. Try to telephone and get much accusation connected nan tour, you’ll perceive a signaling of Goodfellow sadly stating, “Conditions downtown conscionable are not conducive to a helpful, happy, safe tour.”

Goodfellow said nan determination to shutter his circuit cognition didn’t travel easy. The last straw occurred past August, he said, erstwhile a teen followed and harassed his circuit for astir a half hour.

“That past August experience, I realized, it’s gotten worse, it’s going to proceed to get worse,” Goodfellow said. “Would I want to travel connected this tour? What americium I doing here?”

Since nan pandemic, downtown Anchorage has struggled to support its vibrancy. While advocates opportunity caller investments will thief revitalize nan area, business owners constituent to a number of concerns they’re having correct now: crime, homelessness and nan economy. Several opportunity they’re fighting to enactment afloat, and others for illustration Goodfellow person shuttered their operations completely. 

Goodfellow said he’s lived successful Anchorage since nan 1950s, and feels for illustration he doesn’t admit downtown anymore. 

“Most group behave arsenic they judge different group expect them to behave,” Goodfellow said. “And they will push nan rules a small until they get slapped. For immoderate reason, downtown Anchorage has go very permissive.”

He’s not nan only downtown business proprietor who’s emotion stressed. 

Stan (left) and Scott Selman are co-owners of nan longtime Downtown Anchorage edifice Club Paris. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

Stan Selman co-owns nan longtime edifice Club Paris pinch his relative Scott. A fewer businesses connected their artifact person closed successful caller years. 

Stan said their edifice has had to contend pinch a emergence successful break-ins and nationalist nuisances from group who are homeless. 

“I had 4 girls locomotion successful nan restaurant, dressed to nan nines,” he said. “First point retired of this woman’s mouth, ‘Somebody crap successful your doorway.’ How are we expected to manhandle that?”

Scott Selman said he’s not conscionable concerned for his and his patrons’ information — it’s besides costing them money. He said personification tried breaking into nan edifice a period agone by smashing a beforehand model pinch a ample rock.

“Fortunately our butchers were present and heard him and they ran off,” Scott said.

“Almost gave them a bosom attack,” Stan added. 

“That’s astir a $2,000 measure to switch that glass,” Scott continued. “And they’re conscionable brazen.”

The Selmans opportunity much needs to beryllium done to find shelter and lodging for group who are homeless, immoderate who person sounded tents successful a grassy batch downtown aliases who are sleeping connected sidewalks.

Anchorage Downtown Partnership executive head Radhika Krishna. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

Radhika Krishna understands those concerns. She’s nan executive head of nan Anchorage Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit that helps support downtown’s infrastructure arsenic good arsenic support section businesses. She said homelessness is apical of mind for nan metropolis and her organization.

“We’re each trying to activity towards arsenic a city, conscionable having a cohesive scheme connected lodging and homelessness, which spans nan full spectrum from emergency shelter to caller residential development,” Krishna said. “That’s thing that we each cognize that we need.”

She said nan Anchorage Police Department precocious reinstituted a downtown ft patrol to amended nationalist safety. 

Scott Selman said he’s besides worried astir nan authorities of downtown’s economy. Despite his edifice offering benefits and higher-than-average wages, he said, it’s difficult to find and support workers.

“Wages person gone up, costs person gone up,” he said. “It’s difficult to break even, actually.”

Despite those concerns, Krishna said her outlook for nan early of downtown is bright. The nonprofit precocious put together its first downtown report, and she said there’s a batch to beryllium excited about. 

“From each nan information we put together successful this report, it looks for illustration we person much caller improvement downtown now than we’ve had successful nan past decade aliases two,” Krishna said. “And it looks for illustration location are much unit businesses opening downtown than closing.”

She said of nan building of marque caller residential rental units and nan impending move of nan power institution Santos to nan ample erstwhile KeyBank building arsenic signs of a much vibrant downtown. She besides highlighted programs for illustration nan downtown taxation abatement policy, renovations to existing businesses and sidewalks, and description of nan city’s way system.  

“These things will alteration nan look of downtown,” Krishna said. “These will bring awesome caller tenants and they’ll create amended entree to downtown done our trails and sidewalks. And I deliberation it’s going to look wholly different than it did 15 years ago.”

Krishna said it’ll beryllium respective years earlier nan investments to downtown go noticeable, but she hopes nan nationalist sees nan advancement already underway.