Suburban Public House

You know how sometimes you get an idea stuck in your head and it burns up all your thoughts consuming more and more resources like a virus until you can think of nothing but that idea? Maybe not, but in my case today I'm sick with that idea, and I must get it out or else I won't be able to get any work done whatsoever. So here it is...

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I drive in and out of my cozy little neighborhood every day. I take a route to work lined with strip malls and bus stops, 30 year old marine equipment businesses and brand new restaurants. Let me begin by saying that I'm sick of driving. People who live in the city will generally agree with me, driving is a hassle to be avoided. City folk look at suburban folk and think we're crazy for living in our isolated little islands (i.e. subdivisions) that are reachable only by car. The closest grocery to my home is 3x a far by car as it is by crow. As I've already said however, my neighborhood is cozy
, and I like it that way.

Suburbia is popular for a few reasons. It's newer, cleaner, more private, has it's own style of amenities, room to expand and escape the seedy side of society (or at least make it invisible when it's behind closed doors). There's (usually) better schools, and safer playgrounds, and more places to park! But more and more people who study our society (sociologists?) agree that suburbia is a type of decay. It sprawls, it pollutes just as bad, and it destroys community.

I drove into my neighborhood the other day and the following things went thru my head.

• I don't know anyone here. (I've met about 3 ppl who are my neighbors).
• I see tons of ppl out walking dogs, jogging, etc. No one talks to each other.
• There's no where to meet, congregate, socialize, etc...

And then the other half of my brain screams out to me, "but there's all these ppl in your little townhome community!" Now I'd have to go to the association docs to figure this out, but my basic question is:

Is there enough ppl in my neighborhood (that only has one entrance/exit for the entire thing), to support a community public house?

The kind of place I'm envisioning is the kind where you can stop in for a cup of coffee in the morning. Pick up a gallon of milk and a couple apples by walking up to the corner, instead of having to make a 15 minute drive. Go up and watch the game on Sunday night and have a beer and shout at the TV with your neighbor. Arrange to have a small business meeting, or curl up in front of a fireplace with a book. There's a community message board in the vestibule, and a free computer to check your email in the corner. Maybe a kid with a guitar comes in on Tuesdays.

I see these third places all over today. It's an amalgam of a coffee house (Starbucks) and a mini mart (the AM/PM minus the gas station), and a pub (hard to find in the 'burbs, but common in cities like Chicago or London). My last apartment had a great place like this - it was their office/clubhouse and it had cookies every day. They offered a free breakfast once a month on the corner that you could drive by and pick up on the way out of their neighborhood of townhomes. There were social events and big comfy chairs and wine tastings and Halloween parties.

There's lots of ideas rummaging around my head about this right now. Where would it go, how big would it be, how much would it cost, would it be for or non-profit, would an association go for it? I have only rumblings of answers, but I know I have a couple readers here. Does what I'm saying here resonate with anyone, or is it just another thought-hungry crazy scheme that I stumble on every once in a while?

Cheers!