The City of Scottsbluff will move into the next phase of efforts to revitalize downtown Scottsbluff. Next week, the City of Scottsbluff will host consultants as it works on developing a landscaping and hardscaping plan.
The City of Scottsbluff has hired Dropseed Studio, an Omaha design firm and division of Kinghorn Gardens, to design the plan.
Dropseed Studios and Kinghorn Gardens is headed by Bryan Kinghorn, a native of Morrill, Scottsbluff Assistant City Manager Nathan Johnson said.
“We are looking at landscaping, hardscaping and pedestrian improvements,” Johnson said.
During the mill-and-overlay project, the city removed stoplights in the downtown area, improved the city street and made handicap accessibility improvements and spurred downtown public infrastructure improvements. The project was part of an overall larger project that helped fund improvements of downtown Scottsbluff businesses through grant funds.
The city will further those public infrastructure improvements, including looking at traffic mitigation and expanding handicap accessibility, as part of this next phase of projects.
“We would like to boost the aesthetics downtown and make it more of a destination point,” Johnson said. “Some of the things that we would like to incorporate would be sustainable, looking great but also have functionality about it as well.”
Johnson pointed to a parking lot project on First Avenue as an example. The parking lot is adorned by native grasses and plants that use less water, but soften the hardscaping of the lot. Dropseed Studio specializes in some projects and the City of Scottsbluff is hoping to see projections include permeable pavers and other sustainable practices implemented.
“We want the aesthetics to serve a purpose. Hopefully, we can come up with something that is not only innovative, but also be sustainable, 10, 20 or 30 years down the road,” Johnson said.
Dropseed Studio representatives will be in Scottsbluff on Jan. 7. Representatives will do a walking tour in downtown Scottsbluff with business owners, council members and others before hosting an open house, which is open to the public from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Midwest Theater. At 5:30 p.m., a brief public presentation will take place.
On Jan. 8, representatives of Dropseed Studio will start drawing up ideas, as covered in the walking tour and the open house, during a “pin-up process” at the Midwest Theater.
Members of the public are invited to stop at the theater to speak with the firm’s consultants, share input and see the process from 9 to 3 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Dropseed Studio consultants will host another public presentation, presenting the pin-up ideas.
“The idea is that the consultants will take the ideas from the pin-up process back to Omaha and develop the plan,” Johnson said. “We can take the master plan and incorporate it into the budget process.”
The council will decide whether proposed improvements can be funded in one large project or if improvements will be implemented in phases.
The key to the meetings being hosted in the downtown area is to gather input and information from the public, Johnson said.
“We want to make this process as transparent as possible. We really want the public to give input, whether that be good, bad or indifferent.”
Anyone with questions about the upcoming meetings can contact Johnson at 308-630-6202, or Annie Folck at 308-630-8011. Folck, who has served as stormwater specialist for Scottsbluff, will serve as the city planner.
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