Updating the Downtown Master Plan is one of Council’s top priorities for 2017. The Downtown Master Plan was developed in 1998 and has not been updated since. According to city staff, updating the master plan will take up to a year.
Some council members were concerned about the cost of the update. Mayor Jeff Cheney said that the master plan has been sitting on the shelves for nearly 20 years, and now that the downtown area is garnering more attention, it is time to update the plan to make sure it aligns with Council's vision for downtown.
The updated master plan will feature the following objectives:
- define the boundaries of the downtown district;
- re-evaluate land uses and residential density;
- develop a parking strategy and downtown mobility plan;
- evaluate branding of the district, including entry features public art;
- and generate a plan for preserving the architectural heritage of downtown.
According to the city, consultants will acquire public input and expectations through an extensive public engagement process. Community engagement will consist of an online survey, two days of interviews split into several group sessions with an estimated 100 stakeholders.
