GAINESVILLE—Gainesville City Council members got a chance to see the fruits of 10 months worth of labor to map out a Master Plan for the city's Downtown and Midtown areas.
Representatives from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG) at the University of Georgia were on hand to present their findings at Thursday morning's city council work session.
"The community identified four top issues. We had connectivity, programming, design and economic development," said Danny Bivins, Public Service Associate with CVIOG.
They gathered that data through 12 focus groups of 10-15 people and individual interviews with 17 other Gainesville residents, all ranging in age from middle schoolers to senior citizens.
"Listening is the most important thing," said Bivins.
The ideas outlined in the presentation included using buildings as a way to advertise and engage with the city (with projecters lighting up walls with advertisements of city events, for example), utilizing local artists for urban art initiatives and creating more mixed-use spaces for events like carnivals or food truck nights.
Part of the balance with these newer, more contemporary designs, which would also include buildings that blend retail, office and living space, is making sure the historical pieces remain intact.
"I think if you look through Gainesville as a whole, you see growth and development over time. You see historic structures that may be historic from the 1950s now, and so you identify what's of that area, what's of that place, and you want things that fit in with that," said Leigh Askew-Elkins, also with CVIOG.
One of the issues identified was a "moat" around The Square that residents often have a hard time crossing, which Bivins and Askew-Elkins identified as a square comprised of Jesse Jewell Parkway, E.E. Butler Parkway and Academy Street. Those roads, Bivins said, are difficult to cross for pedestrians, and with the first two comprising the main arteries through Gainesville, out-of-towners often aren't even aware that The Square is so close.
"We don't have a parking problem. We have a walking problem," said Bivins.
Overall, they're hoping to connect Downtown and Midtown, create more living space downtown and utilize Lake Lanier more.
"It's really exciting," said Mayor Dunagan.
Other council members echoed those sentiments.
"It's good to see that Gainesville continues to move forward," said Councilwoman Myrtle Figueras.
