Want new businesses in Quincy? First erase the ones left behind

Broadway Street in Quincy, IL is a perfect example of "Visual Pollution" and it is my opinion that this visual pollution is one of the main reasons why business is slow to grow along the busiest street in the whole of the Tri-States.

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What is "visual pollution" well according to Wikipedia.org it is...

"Visual pollution is the visible deterioration and negative aesthetic quality of the natural and human-made landscapes around people...Visual pollution disturbs the functionality and enjoyment of a given area..."

And Broadway Street in Quincy has a ton of this visual pollution, there are lots of vacant empty spaces along the most congested stretch of road in the whole Tri-State area, the Old Kmart, the empty Shopko, long gone Ruby Tuesday, are just some examples of this. We all want to see either new businesses move into these buildings or for them to be reused in some other way shape or form. Why haven't they?

This is where I suggested to you the idea of "Sign Pollution" my own version of visual pollution, sign pollution could be to blame for why there aren't a ton of takers on renting or buying up empty space on Broadway. What is "Sign Pollution then" ? Let me ask you a question and it will make sense...

Why is the Ruby Tuesday sign still up on Broadway street after the business closed?

I have lived in Quincy almost three years, and every time I drive down Broadway I have to be reminded that there was a Ruby Tuesday that used to be here that closed before I moved here... Why does the city allow that sign to stay up? That's sign pollution, it is polluting our street with negative views of businesses that are no longer there.

If I was looking to start a restaurant in town, a space on Broadway near a giant intersection with tons of traffic would be ideal, but I wouldn't choose the building that the old Ruby Tuesday is in why? Because everyone knows that is the old Ruby Tuesday and would constantly just refer to the new business as "ya know Mark's place that new restaurant in the old Ruby Tuesday Building"

So why does the city let the signs of old businesses stay up? Why do we constantly have to be reminded of the things that are no longer there? Obviously, we aren't dumb and if you live in this town you will remember where businesses stood, but if the goal of the city is to continue to attract new residents, and bring in new businesses, why doesn't it prioritize making the available spaces clean, and blank slates?