HomeProgress-Index, 06/26/2006
DPI wants community involvement for Harbor Initiative
By Julie Buchanan, Staff Writer
PETERSBURG - Downtown Petersburg Inc. is calling on residents to attend a public meeting Tuesday to share their ideas for the upcoming Downtown Harbor Initiative master plan.
DPI, a nonprofit organization with a mission to revitalize downtown Petersburg, is scheduled this November to bring in a group of outside planners and architects for a special study known as a Regional Urban Design Assistance Team program. The team will use community input to draft a plan of development for the city’s downtown and inner harbor.
The R/UDAT program was developed more than 40 years ago by the American Institute of Architects to help strengthen citizen involvement in community planning. Its implementation has been successful in more than 100 American cities, said Terry Ammons, co-chairman of the Downtown Harbor Initiative Steering Committee and a Petersburg architect.
“The harbor project will be the most important downtown project we will undertake in the next decade,” he said. “We need to be ready, and we need to present a shared vision for its development as a key to Petersburg’s future.”
Tuesday’s meeting will allow participants to sign up for committees and learn more about how they can become involved in the planning. After a welcome by Mayor Annie M. Mickens and a presentation by DPI members, citizens will have the opportunity to ask questions and make comments on what they'd like to see in a revitalized downtown. More public meetings and discussions will follow throughout the next four months.
In January, DPI’s first meeting on the R/UDAT program drew 300 citizens to the Petersburg Regional Art Center.
“Harbor development is central to the development of the entire city,” said Jim Wilson, president of DPI. “It has a vital importance to all citizens, and we want them to play a part in the planning. It’s very important that they attend the meeting and give us as much feedback as possible.”
The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Petersburg Regional Arts Center, 132 N. Sycamore St. Refreshments will be served.
For more information on the R/UDAT and the Downtown Harbor Initiative, visit www.petersburgharbor.org.
