Exciting plans are in the works for West Jackson Street from Madison Street to Remington Avenue. Beginning August 15th, citizens will have an opportunity to learn more about the project and how to contribute their ideas to the development of a streetscape plan for this downtown street.
“What we are proposing is a streetscape improvement project that is focused on the area of West Jackson Street from Madison Street to Remington Avenue at the railroad crossing,” said April Norton, Main Street Director. “The final plan that is developed and presented to first the Planning and Zoning Commission and then City Council will be based on the feedback and input we receive from citizens throughout our public engagement process. The meeting on August 15th will be the first of many opportunities for those with an interest in the area to be a part of this exciting process.”
The West Jackson Street kickoff session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 15th at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building located at 144 East Jackson Street. During this session, business and property owners of this area as well as interested citizens are invited to participate in a general discussion to learn more about the goals and timeline of the project.
“Our main goal through this project is to develop a final plan based on citizen input that improves both the function and aesthetics of this area,” said City Planner Brian Herrmann. “The specific ways we do that will come directly from the input we receive throughout the process and may include items such as buried utility lines, improved sidewalks, improved street trees, pedestrian lighting, seating, and signage.”
To gain more direct information concerning the desires of the community for this area, discussion interviews with business owners, property owners and anyone else with an interest in the area will be held August 17th, 18th and 21st. During these sessions, conversations will be held that will give attendees additional opportunities to contribute their ideas to the proposed project.
“It’s very important that the direction of this project follow one that is based on the interests and needs of our citizens, particularly those that operate a business or own property in this area,” said Norton. “To gain an understanding of what that will be, we invite our community to participate in an interview process that will be conducted in person and also made available online.”
A link to the interview questions is available at Thomasville.org/current-projects. Once the data collection phase is complete, staff will compile the survey responses to craft a plan that will be unveiled to the public before ultimately going on to both the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.
“All of the responses from the interview questions, both those given during face-to-face personal interviews and those that participate online, will be instrumental in shaping what will ultimately become our proposed plan,” said Herrmann. “It will represent a partnership of good, urban design and public input that will meet the needs of both property and business owners and the general public.”
Herrmann said that Discovery Walks will also be held in this area later this fall to help point out the opportunities for improvement in the area. This will later be followed by a public presentation of the survey results. The target date for a proposed plan will be in November.
A full project timeline is available at Thomasville.org/Current-Projects. For more information on this and other opportunities for public input, please contact Lauren Radford, Director of Public Engagement and Outreach, at 227-4015.