Go back to drawing board for La Crosse Center expansion plans

Its time to go back to the drawing board. Reaction to a planned multi-million dollar expansion of the La Crosse Center has been mixed at best. The objections seem to be not the pricetag, but to the design of the building. Designers made the first priority of the expansion taking advantage of the adjacent Mississippi River, with not just windows, but a building which juts out into Riverside Park. But few seem thrilled with the architectural renderings. It looks to some like a giant spaceship has landed there. But more importantly, the design looks significantly out of place. Much work has been done to maintain the historical look of La Crosse’s downtown. Downtown business owners have been hampered by City Hall in efforts to spruce up their businesses. Just look at the fight over Grounded Coffee simply wanting to change the entrance. Or those behind new downtown hotels who had to change their plans to make the new buildings better fit in with the historic feel of the downtown. Now they are willing to look past those requirements to redesign a building much bigger than that coffee shop or hotel. The city is right to ensure consistency in the look of downtown, and to highlight the historic old buildings which have maintained their old time look. The city needs to do the same with the La Crosse Center, and select a design that fits in, rather than looking like a big spaceship.