Nearly 60 Creston residents, business owners, and students attended a planning charrette last Friday hosted by the Creston Neighborhood Association. The purpose of the meeting, facilitated by Design Plus, was to gather ideas for the redevelopment and revitalization of the Plainfield business corridor.
“Design Plus divided the corridor into three target areas they felt we should focus on that would have the largest focus for change,” said Suzanne Bladey, Creston Corridor Program Manager. “We had people fill out questionnaires about what they want to see change. They also had maps and images and drawing tools, and some people were able to come up and draw what they wanted to see for streetscapes.”
“Some of the issues were what we expected, such as parking,” said Jim Horman, a partner and architect with Design Plus. “Is there enough? Is it being used effectively? The speed of the traffic. I think the feeling is that the traffic moves a little too quickly. It doesn’t make for a safe pedestrian environment and vehicular safety for pulling into and out of parking spaces.
Another issue that came up was the market value of homes within three blocks of the business corridor.
“When you strengthen the core value of the commercial corridor the residential property values also increase,” Horman said, “because now you have a livable, walkable community as opposed to a destination-based shopping area.”
Other issues discussed were improved traffic flow and pedestrian safety around Creston High School, the possible development of a pocket park, and infill options for vacant property and a burned-out building.
“What was really great about the charrette,” Horman said, “was that there was so much diversity in the people that showed up. There were clergy there, people from the City [offices], from the neighborhood association, residents, and business owners. We had other design professionals there—architects who live in the corridor and showed up.”
Horman hopes to have the information analyzed and preliminary design options on paper by the end of January.
Source: Suzanne Bladey, Creston Neighborhood Association; Jim Horman, Design Plus
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