Downtown Community Workshop

Press release sent out from the city:

The City of Carbondale and the Downtown Planning Consultant will host a Community Workshop on Wednesday, June 24^th at 6:00 p.m. in Room 108 in the Carbondale Civic Center.  This initial workshop with the consultants is designed to reaffirm the Downtown Advisory Committee’s (DAC) priority focus areas, introduce the public to the Downtown planning process, and seek further input regarding desired outcomes and priorities within the established focus areas.

The workshop will consist of a large group format where issues and desired outcomes are identified and discussed with participants and the consultant team. All are invited to attend and provide vital feedback as the City works with planning consultants Houseal Lavigne Associates on the new Downtown Master Plan. The City is requesting input from residents, the business community, developers and others who have a vested interest in the future of Downtown Carbondale. This is an important process to help identify Downtown Carbondale’s strengths, opportunities, and future needs from your unique perspective.

The new Plan will build on the outreach and work recently completed by the Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC). When completed the new Plan will be the product of the community, with its vision and recommendations grounded by valuable input received from residents. Over the course of the next nine months, residents and Downtown stakeholders will have numerous opportunities to participate both in-person and online through the project’s website. The new Plan is expected to be completed in early 2016.

The new Plan will provide a framework for the development of future public policy pertaining to growth, development, redevelopment, infrastructure improvement and expansion, provision of community services, as well as the conservation and expansion of cultural and natural resources in the downtown. The Carbondale Downtown Master Plan will serve as the City’s official guide for land use and development in the Downtown area over the next 15 years. It will act as a “road map,” detailing a long-term vision and policy agenda for important issues such as land use and development, beautification, parking, pedestrian mobility, and circulation. Ultimately, the Plan will seek to answer the question, “What will Downtown Carbondale look like in 2030 and how do we get there?”