The fact that a downtown eyesore soon will make way for a new building in keeping with Brookhaven’s historic business district is welcome news.

In the years since the original building at the corner of West Monticello Street and Whitworth Avenue burned, the location has unfortunately been home to slabs of concrete with the occasional weed poking up here and there.

But all that will be changing soon as the accounting firm of Miller & White has revealed plans to build an office on the corner. An attractive plan that features bricks and windows complementary to the other buildings on the street has been unveiled, and work on the project will be getting under way promptly.

A vibrant, attractive downtown is vital to the success of any city, and it’s been unfortunate to see more and more businesses leaving Brookhaven’s downtown for other commercial areas in the city. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see signs of growth like Miller & White’s new building in the heart of the central business district.

The latest development downtown follows a number of recent renovations of old buildings, including The Crossing events venue, The Inn on Whitworth and the Hurst Review’s facility nearby. Just a few blocks to the west, the old First Presbyterian Church has been renovated into another events location. Work also appears to be on the way on another building on Whitworth Avenue.

As more and more of our downtown buildings come back to life, we hope this central city revival will also lead to additional restaurants in the heart of the city, along with the return of more retail businesses.

Many people already make their homes downtown in the apartments located upstairs in a number of the buildings. We hope the updates to the commercial sector will spur efforts to provide them and all of our citizens with more reasons to stay in town and keep their dollars pumping into our local economy.