Want to weigh in on the future of downtown? Here’s your chance

What will downtown look like in 2035? The possibilities could come into focus as a new long-range plan is put together – and first, you get to have a say.

Here are a few ways to get involved.

Take this survey

The city has released a survey that includes a mapping exercise for open-ended input.

“If you like something or have ideas, you drop (virtual) pins on a map,” said Dustin Powers, business development coordinator for the city’s Planning and Development Services Department.

“Comment on why you drop the pin there, and you can see everyone else’s pins as well, so it’s a way to see how everyone else is commenting.”

You can post as many as you want.

The survey also asks for input about what’s working well downtown and what could be improved. To take it, click here.

Attend a workshop

The city will hold public workshops at 4 and 6 p.m. Thursday at the downtown library. There will be an interactive slide show allowing for live feedback followed by mapping exercises by table.

“People can go around and provide comments through some exercises, and we’ll have facilitators helping, so it will be half presentation and half interactive,” Powers said.

From there, smaller stakeholder groups will be established to dig into specific elements of the future downtown plan.

Broader effort

While the downtown plan focuses on the established downtown boundaries, the city also is “looking toward the adjacent neighborhoods in terms of how we connect those neighborhoods,” Powers said. “We know as growth and development continues downtown, it’s starting to spread out, and we’re seeing investments just outside downtown or just adjacent to it.”

The city has hired multiple consulting firms to run the planning process and do a market analysis.

In addition, an advisory committee is helping guide it.

The process is expected to take up to a year. The City Council ultimately will vote on adopting the plan.

To learn more and get connected, click here. 

What could downtown become by 2035? The planning starts today