After months of data collection, public engagement sessions and stakeholder meetings, two significant milestones in the path to improving the Grant Avenue corridor between Sunshine and downtown have been reached. A baseline concept design for the roadway improvement project has been developed and an accompanying Grant Avenue Corridor Plan to guide future development drafted.
Nearly 500 viewers tuned in to a live, virtual public broadcast in early February as the City’s project team presented the recommended baseline concept design and gathered feedback on future land use and development for the Corridor Plan effort.
“Public engagement is vital to the success of this transformational project,” explains Director of Public Information and Civic Engagement Cora Scott. “We are thrilled that through a mix of virtual broadcasts, surveys, one-on-one stakeholder meetings and other activities, more than 2,000 Springfieldians directly engaged with us throughout this process.”
The recommended concept design will be included as the City proceeds to the project delivery phase of the roadway improvements this spring with the issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from teams of designers, engineers and architects. From those who respond to the RFQ, a select number of qualifying teams will be chosen to participate in a design competition set to take place this summer. A winning team is expected to be named this fall when another round of public engagement will launch to provide feedback on the final design. Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2022 with completion of the project in 2023.
Working in coordination with the roadway improvement project, the City’s Planning and Development Department engaged Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan consultant firm, Houseal Lavigne, to complete a Grant Avenue Corridor Plan.
“The Grant Avenue Parkway is much more than a street project,” said Director of Quality of Place Initiatives Tim Rosenbury. “The establishment of a Corridor Plan will help encourage appropriate growth and development along the Parkway route, while helping maintain the unique identity and neighborhood characteristics of the area.”
The Corridor Plan focuses on the portion of the Parkway route between College Street and Fassnight Park. It focuses on opportunities to capitalize and encourage redevelopment and reinvestment – targeting a variety of housing types, neighborhood commercial and placemaking strategies. It also includes a number of transportation recommendations to better connect the Parkway to neighborhoods and greenway trails as well as an implementation strategy and recommended changes to City Code.
The draft corridor plan will go before the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission as well as City Council in March. With Council approval, an overlay district zoning ordinance will be brought forward to implement the plan.
For more information on the Grant Avenue Parkway corridor improvement project and the Grant Avenue Corridor Plan, visit grantavenueparkway.com.