On Coliseum Boulevard between State Boulevard and the Maumee River, there is a string of closed businesses. Home Depot and Value City are gone. Lowe’s and Kmart are the remaining anchors in this key area.

Regrettably, much of Fort Wayne is covered with real estate signs advertising available commercial property. Fewer jobs, potential blight and falling tax revenues are foreseeable outcomes under current economic conditions.

Without attracting more people to this hard-hit stretch of road, things could get worse before they get better. And it could be a tough job to improve things.

Part of my concern is the new four-lane Maplecrest Road extension that will parallel this part of Coliseum Boulevard about two miles to the east.

While this expensive road project will offer another north-south route, it will also siphon much needed customer traffic off this section of Coliseum.

The other concern I have for this stressed business area is the planned opening of a new Walmart where Maplecrest and Adams Center roads will meet at Indiana 930. This new superstore site is also just about two miles from Coliseum and nearly the same distance from Georgetown Square on Maplecrest.

The road construction project will create a lot of needed jobs in the short term. But Walmart may also draw customers from many of these northeast-side businesses.

We all recognize the benefits that come with travel convenience, and share the hope for new growth southeast along Adams Center Road. But we must also recognize the need to try to help established businesses that could suffer from unintended consequences.

The city of Fort Wayne can, in fact, help by officially declaring this still important business zone as an area in need of economic revitalization. The formal designation is called an Economic Development Target Area, or EDTA.

With this designation in place, businesses inside the area are eligible for certain types of assistance, including grants, tax breaks and area improvements.

The old saying “forewarned is forearmed” surely fits this situation. Since the Maplecrest Road extension won’t be open until 2012, the city’s economic development team can get a jumpstart on helping the businesses in these affected blocks of Coliseum Boulevard.

It’s so rare that we have the opportunity to look over the horizon and see what’s coming down the road. So I’ve asked the city to study this location to see whether it qualifies to be an Economic Development Target Area.

In anticipation that this designation will be supported, I hope this request for a new EDTA can be presented for the City Council’s approval as soon as possible.

Amid these tough financial times, city leaders must do all they reasonably can to support business owners and their employees. I’m confident that’s exactly what we’ll do.