September 3, 2020–7:55 a.m.
STAFF REPORTS
Plans for the River District Streetscape are taking shape.
On Tuesday, a public workshop was held to give citizens an opportunity to share input on how to recreate the River District’s streets.
Brian King with Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood Consultants shared a baseline concept, which included more sidewalk space on 5th Avenue.
“You can have about 15 feet of sidewalk on each side,” he said. “To give you a little context, Broad Street is 20. So, you really have the space potentially for sidewalk cafés for a truly unique urban, pedestrian-friendly setting.”
The concept also envisions space for street trees, parking, and the reworking of the 5th Avenue/Avenue A intersection.
“We’ve looked at the idea of turning Avenue A to a 90-degree angle so it hits 5th Avenue,” King said. “In doing so, that is done completely in the right-of-way. If you look at trimming this huge section of road down to only what it needs to be, you have a massive opportunity for a really cool urban plaza. To me, it’s the Town Green on the street.”
King stressed that public input is key to shaping the district.
There was $2-million included in the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for the revitalization project to help enhance and build the character of the River District while serving as a gateway to downtown.
The public is also invited to submit comments after the presentation via email at [email protected].