principles

A vision driven framework for driving actionable changes downtown.

Downtown should be a place for all people.

  • Downtown needs to support people at all ends of the socioeconomic spectrum in terms of housing and social services.
  • Downtown needs to be a safe place for everyone at all times of day and every day of the year.
  • Downtown needs to be an arborella of shade trees aligning the climate of the region to the experience of the city.
  • Downtown needs to be well-lit throughout the night in creative and innovative ways to add to the character of the individual districts and experiences.
  • Downtown needs a classic universal sidewalk to give a consistent identity to the street network.
  • Downtown needs to clean water in the streets and public spaces to have clean lakes.

Downtown should be personified by a vital street system and transit network.

  • Downtown needs to embrace a street hierarchy where access, movement, and place are systematically organized – and cut-through traffic is discouraged.
  • Downtown needs to transform many of its car-oriented one-way streets into walkable, people-oriented two-way streets.
  • Downtown needs to create a legible network of trails and paths for people of all ages and abilities to walk and cycle.
  • Downtown needs to redefine Lymmo’s role in the transit ecosystem.

Downtown should be exceptional every day.

  • Downtown needs exceptional special experiences and exceptional every day experiences at a variety of scales from big to small.
  • Downtown needs to increase the number of civic spaces in strategic locations and activate each space with an individual purpose to build out a continuous fabric of experiences.

Downtown should be a neighborhood of diverse districts and corridors.

  • Downtown needs to acknowledge that it is a neighborhood and needs to embrace the diversity of the various districts within it.
  • Downtown needs to be a place with a complete mix of uses from the ground up, ensuring vibrant, diverse, and inclusive street level experiences for all.
  • Downtown needs to focus on transforming key corridors (like Church Street) and supporting the redevelopment of key sites.

Downtown should be the cultural hub of the region.

  • Downtown needs to offer more smaller-scale cultural attractions that enrich our lives and bring joy every day – beyond the occasional big events in Downtown’s big venues.
  • Downtown needs to nurture and incubate people-powered businesses that attract others and create local community value.
  • Downtown needs to be a place the region envisions as their civic heart.

To build a thriving downtown, the plan will provide projects, policies, and program recommendations for four areas of focus.

Focus 1: Streets

Great streets for walking have vibrant street life day and night

Focus 2: Civic Spaces

Great places to gather that encourage community connections

Focus 3: Mobility Options

Great biking and transit networks that are safe and seamless

Focus 4: Districts and Neighborhoods

Great identifiable communities that are connected to one another

Areas of Focus

Click each area of focus to learn more about each category and highlight the section of this map graphic.

streets/public right-of-way
180   acres
35%  of the downtown core

spaces in the study area
spaces impacting the study area
64  acres
12.6%  of the downtown core

existing paths + trails
existing bike lanes
existing bus lanes
SunRail

neighborhoods
destinations + districts
park/open space destinations

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walkable cities

Process

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Insights

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ENGAGE

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