Aaannd the Majestic Place going once, twice, sold to the West Side of Evansville!

But wait. What in the world is the Majestic Place and why should I care?

The Majestic Place is a zoning request located on the West side of Evansville, specifically the 195 acreage of land off of Highway 62 and near USI. The purpose of the Majestic Place is to create a mixture of student housing, assisted-living, senior housing and businesses. In other words, the request is meant to create a residential and commercial complex.

Currently the rezoning request is on hold while the project gets a revamping, but the initial request stirred up quite a controversy among West Siders.

What does this mean for the West Side, though?

By the zoning request being set near USI, it will expand the area. This request would be a huge change for the West Side of Evansville, a part of the town that, at first, accepted change at a slower pace.

In previous history, the West Side, which had and still has a great amount of people of mainly German and Irish descent, was actually separated from the rest of the city by a stream of water called Pigeon Creek. This separation allowed that area of the town to grow at a slower pace. That separation also created a community within a community, meaning that it had the small-town feel.

“Everyone on the West Side was and is still so friendly, especially on Franklin Street,” said Dick Barchet, member of the West Side Nut Club Committee. “I can walk out on Franklin and being able to see several people that I know.”

The reason that we seem to be so close and friendly is because everyone knows, well, everyone. It’s not just because of the separation, but because generations of families have grown up on the West Side.

Beth Carnahan, head English teacher at Reitz, for example, has been on the West Side for a very long time.

“My whole family has grown up on the West Side, and I went to Reitz as well as my children, so I’ve lived here my entire life.”

Because of its “homey” vibe, more people flocked to the West Side. There was especially an increase of population after the Civil War, which drew in more residents.

By the late 1870′s, the West Side decided to build schools and a fire station and by the 1890′s there was an increase in expansion of residential areas.

So why not accept the Majestic Place if it is put to good use by creating a bigger, and possibly better, West Side?

Jon Carl, former Feel the History teacher, is all in favor of not having the request set in full motion.

“I don’t embrace it because I like not having [a lot of] traffic. I like a community within a community, and by the Majestic Place, it seems like there will be repeated mistakes like on the East Side.”

If you can remember the last time that you’ve been to the East Side, you’d probably sigh out of annoyance. Trying to get to the East Side is something that requires patience, because it is full of cars weaving in and out on the roads, restaurants lining both sides of the highway, and a mall that always seems to be teeming with large amounts of people.

Now, try to picture that on the West Side, and Carl might have a point. An increase of residents would most definitely mean an increase of traffic, and an increase of businesses would mean that more and more people would flock to the West Side to get the items that they need, causing congestion and perhaps a larger amount of accidents.

So what is to be done about the Majestic Place? Should current residents accept change, or voice their opposition?