HomeProgress-Index, 04/16/2007
After R/UDAT, what’s next?
By F.M. Wiggins, Staff Writer
PETERSBURG — It’s been three weeks since the eight architects working together as part of the Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team made a presentation of their final report.
fe The report presented to the public April 2 included at $5 million to 12 million waterfront park complete with an amphitheater and art displays, a downtown hotel and conference center, several roundabouts designed to visually enhance the downtown and to slow traffic and more green space. The team also made recommendations for building guidelines for in-fill development.
The team members worked together for four days at the end of March through to the beginning of April on the plans for the revitalization of the city’s downtown.
“People said that they couldn’t believe that this plan was done in just four days, and it really wasn’t,” R/UDAT team leader Jane Jenkins said at the presentation. “But we were only able to do in those four days because of more than a year’s worth of work that’s been done by the steering committee.”
Reactions to the presentation three weeks ago were highly positive from city leaders and residents.
Mayor Annie M. Mickens described the plan as a document showing quality community planning and thanked the team for its hard work in putting the plan together.
However, City Council has not yet taken any official action regarding the R/UDAT plan.
The plan was called for as part of the city’s Vision 2000 Comprehensive Plan. The city is currently working on an update for the comprehensive plan.
Ward 4 Councilman Brian Moore said that one of his favorite parts of the plan is how the team worked to make the entire downtown pedestrian friendly.
One of the recommendations in the report is to widen sidewalks, specifically on Bollingbrook Street, increase the amount of lighting and build the river front park area. The plan also recommends making the different areas of the downtown interconnected for ease of walking.
Even civic areas including the municipal building, library and planned multi-modal transit center are interconnected by green space through tree lined streets and sidewalks.
The entire study area of the report, from Wythe Street to the Appomattox River and from Interstate 95 to Market Street is within Moore’s ward.
Moore said that he would like to see the recommendations from the R/UDAT team take the next step forward and go to the planning commission so that the recommendations can be included as part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
“I’d really like to see it included within this budget cycle that we’re working on now,” Moore said. “I think it has some positive support from the other members of council, so it’s possible that it could pass this budget session.”
Moore said that he would like to see the riverfront park completed as soon as possible.
“We shouldn’t lose the momentum,” Moore said.
He said the city should complete at least one or several smaller projects to maintain excitement while continuing to work on the major projects.
• F.M. Wiggins may be reached at 732-3456, ext. 254 or fwiggins@progress-index.com.
