For the Downtown Urban Design and Specific Plan project, FTS was selected to conduct an extensive community participation, urban design, and planning process to revitalize downtown. Strategies include infilling the Bow-Tie with downtown mixed-use development, centered on an exciting central gathering and transit plaza; and tuning up development policies to revive existing shops and attract a mix of new family-oriented businesses to downtown main streets.

Before

The “Bow-Tie” – an abandoned rail yard at the southern edge of downtown – is both an opportunity and a redevelopment challenge.

• Historic district with many beautiful buildings from the town’s heyday, but with many of these dilapidated or unoccupied today.
• Struggling downtown core, with many buildings in poor condition and businesses running on the margins.
• A 64-acre undeveloped former railyard parcel next to downtown separates the district from its surroundings.
• “Holes” in the urban fabric that make the downtown unappealing for walking.

Assignment

• Prepare an urban design concept and Specific Plan to revitalize downtown.
• Conduct an extensive community participation process.

Outcomes

• The City Council has endorsed the initial concepts for downtown revitalization

• The administrative draft has been submitted to the City for review.

In collaboration with:

Strategic Economics, EIP Associates - A Division of PBS&J, CHS Consulting Group, Walker Parking, Carey & Company