There are both advantages and disadvantages of establishing a shopping mall in our neighborhood. I am worried about the traffic and how it will affect our community. However, I believe it will benefit local businesses and increase appreciations for our local area. Overall, I think it is a good idea.
For those that I am worried about, traffic congestion and parking problem are obvious. First of all, traffic congestion is always a concern when building something new. Our streets are narrow, with parking on both sides. A shopping center will certainly bring more traffic than ever before, and heavy traffic means big congestion. At the same time, parking is also a problem in this area. There are few garages attached to houses. Most of residents depend on finding spaces on the street for parking. If a shopping mall is built, we must compete with customers and patrons for those parking spaces. Furthermore, if the shopping center offers valet parking service, it would be even worse because valet parking works in terms to grab every possible space available in street.
On the other hand, building up a shopping center will give this neighborhood more opportunities and benefits. Residents in this area could certainly take the job that shopping center offers. People would earn more money and spend on other businesses, such as entertainment and education, which are operating in our neighborhood or adjacent communities. As a result, not only local businesses but also inter-community businesses are boosted up and a prodigious amount of fortune will be accumulated to our neighborhood. A shopping center can also attract people to visit our community. When they drive to the shopping center, they will see what a nice place this area is to live. Therefore, we would have an increasing number of residents in the next couple of years. It is very important to introduce new population because we have lost many residents to suburbs during recent years.
In a short, there are several details to consider when planning a shopping center. In my part, I support to have a new shopping center in my community because its advantages outweigh disadvantages.