HomeProgress-Index, 08/19/2006
Public session Tuesday to give update on Downtown Harbor Initiative
By Julie Buchanan, Staff Writer
PETERSBURG — Downtown Petersburg Inc. will conduct a public meeting Tuesday night to hear comments and update citizens on the progress of the Downtown Harbor Initiative.
The meeting is the next step in an ongoing process that has engaged Petersburg residents to help plan new development in downtown Petersburg, particularly around the inner harbor.
“The support for this project has been literally overwhelming,” said Steve Perez, chairman of the Downtown Harbor Initiative’s public relations committee. “The people of Petersburg are really mobilizing.”
For the last few months, DPI has been working to bring in a team of professionals from the American Institute of Architects to conduct what’s called a Regional Urban Design Assistance Team study.
The R/UDAT would create a master plan for development in downtown Petersburg based on a series of public input sessions.
The model was developed by the AIA in the 1960s and has been used for revitalization efforts in more than 200 American cities and towns.
DPI has submitted the required R/UDAT application and is awaiting approval from the AIA. If approved, DPI members plan for the study to take place in November.
The process would cost about $55,000 and would cover R/UDAT team members’ transportation, room and board, production expenses and any other costs they might incur. The team members are not paid for their work on the study.
Terry Ammons, co-chairman of the Downtown Harbor Initiative, said more than half of the funding has been raised through sponsorships and in-kind donations.
“Everything seems to be rolling forward,” he said.
Those who attend Tuesday’s meeting will be able to sign up for committees on the Downtown Harbor Initiative.
They also will hear the results of a survey that was completed at DPI’s last public meeting in June on what citizens would like to see most in a revitalized downtown Petersburg.
About 115 citizens attended that meeting.
“The various committees and work groups are starting to form, and folks from all walks of life are pitching in to make this a reality,” Perez said. “The momentum is amazing.”
The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Petersburg Regional Art Center, 132 N. Sycamore St.
