Georgetown City Council receives feedback on downtown plan

Based on public input, the design team found the community is interested in protecting the historic integrity of the downtown square, prioritizing pedestrian-friendly public spaces, and improving connections to and through downtown. Some of the other themes the group found were Georgetown residents want to see historic and underused buildings redeveloped as well as additional art and signage in the downtown area.

Meanwhile, the design firm received some pushback from survey respondents on potential residential developments in the downtown area.

What they’re saying

Several council members discussed the importance of not only expanding walking routes in the downtown area, but maintaining people’s ability to drive to the city’s center. They also touched on negative feedback regarding the development of downtown residential properties.

• “I think we got to be really careful about how much we give up in automobile capability for pedestrians,” District 4 Council Member Ron Garland said.

• “We know from cities across the country that downtowns without adequate residential won’t thrive,” Geddes said. “So you’ve got to have a number of people who are living there. ... If you want new business, that great bodega or hardware store downtown, you have to have people living there for you to go visit that.”

“We’re roughly halfway through this process,” Geddes said. “We’ve done some good engagement, and now it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and put pencils to paper. We’re going to be back in two weeks to talk to the planning commission. We will use this summer to start to develop some framework ideas for what the future options for downtown can be.”