Vergennes Downtown-Basin Master Plan Community Visioning Events, September 25-26
Project Overview
This project is an outgrowth of the Vergennes Community Visit that took place in 2014, facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development. Three priorities for the City of Vergennes came out of the Community Visit:
• Improve Transportation to include improvements for walking, cycling, parking and public transportation.
• Advance the Vergennes economy & expand the community and economic development capacity of the City.
• Redevelop the Vergennes Falls Basin to include better public access along the river.
This master plan will address each of these initiatives by developing design concepts to strengthen the connection between the Basin and Downtown, and by conducting a market analysis to understand how Vergennes can realize its untapped economic potential.
Input from the Community will be especially important in crafting this plan and making it as meaningful, realistic, and effective as possible. Interviews, workshops and presentations will help to inform us. There will be opportunities for public input throughout the plan development, including review of the draft plan when it is ready in Spring 2016.
The master plan is supported by the Strong Communities, Better Connections grant program (a partnership of VTrans and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development), the Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC), and the City of Vergennes.
http://vergennes.org/downtown-basin-master-plan/
1. Walking Tours: Friday, September 25th, 5:30-7:00PM
• We’re going to walk through the study area and discuss ideas and issues. Key topics we want to get your input on include:
a. Potential connections/improved connections between the Basin and Downtown
b. What you see as barriers to economic growth in the study area
c. What types of activities and amenities you’d like to see in the Basin area
• Choice of two routes:
a. Walk #1: Job Corps/Weeks School via MacDonough Park
b. Walk #2: Falls Park
• Each walk is about ½ mile (one-way)
• We’ll start and end at the Green
• Project staff will be wearing bright yellow vests
• Each group will have several disposable cameras for you to take pictures of
a. What you like
b. What concerns you
c. What are potential obstacles for different people, such as kids, people using mobility devices
2. Demonstration Projects: Saturday, September 26th, 10:00AM-12:00PM
• Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how something like a bike lane might work, so we test it out for a day or so to help people understand how it might fit on the street.
• There will be an interactive pop-up kiosk in in Falls Park to solicit people’s vision for the Basin area. The purpose of the kiosk is information exchange and presentation of project materials and potential concepts. The aim is to bring downtown to the Basin and vice versa.
• What are the projects?
1. Bike lanes
Using duct tape and spray chalk to make temporary bike lanes on VT 22A/Main Street, roughly between the Otter Creek bridge and East Street.
2. Curb extensions
Using traffic cones and crates to shorten pedestrians’ crossing distances and their exposure to cars. For example, at corners like the intersection of Main Street and Green Street.
3. Pedestrian refuge islands
Using traffic cones at crosswalks to calm traffic as it travels through downtown and give people crossing the street a small refuge from traffic.
• Local Motion has generously offered to share materials and supplies with us as part of their Better by Bike campaign.