Downtown master plan!  Yay!  I remember many classroom discussions of the necessity of a master plan for downtown, and I’m very happy to see that it’s finally happening.  

Led by University of Georgia professor Jack Crowley and his Environmental Planning and Design graduate students, the master plan is scheduled to be formulated by next summer and will act as a roadmap for the development of downtown through 2030.

The master plan will encompass an expanded vision of downtown that extends from the North Oconee River to Finley Street and from campus to the railroad tracks to the north.

The team held a town hall meeting at the Classic Center to discuss and get public input on what the community would like to see in downtown.  It was a full house of more than 200 Athens residents eagerly sharing their opinions on the future of downtown development.  The crowd agreed on several topics: Downtown needs a public plaza and/or park, public restrooms, support and retention of local businesses, businesses that cater to different socio-economic classes, no big-box retailers and improved transportation.  I could go on, but my list would be as long as Santa’s with all the ideas tossed around.  

Closing College Square to cars was one of the most popular ideas, with 57 percent of the crowd wanting it to turned into a pedestrian plaza and another 35 percent opting to redesign it to shut it down more easily for special events.  In the past, some people have argued that the loss of the parking spaces on College Avenue between Broad and Clayton streets would make the downtown parking situation so much worse. But opinions seem to have changed with the completion of the Washington Street parking deck.  

Many people were concerned with the walkability of downtown, and from personal experience, I think the most hazardous crosswalks are those converging at College Avenue.  Several residents mentioned that they would like to see food carts downtown and a semi-permanent farmers market. Closing down College Square would give these businesses a place to locate. Or we could leave College Square open to traffic and allow them to locate in the park.  

What’s that you say? What park?  Yes, an overwhelming number of Athenians would like to have a park downtown.  Several locations were suggested—including the block surrounding City Hall—but the most popular was Jackson Street. For the first time in 11 years living here, I actually heard people say that downtown has too much parking.  Getting rid of surface parking seemed to be on many people’s priority list, and we could turn the surface parking lot on the corner of Dougherty and Jackson streets into greenspace.  Many people wanted an outdoor amphitheater for plays and concerts. Incorporating a theater into a park would satisfy both suggestions while creating a link between downtown, the Lyndon House and Lay Park.  Another big concern: public restrooms.  Why not put them in the park?  I guess the gameday Porta-potties just aren’t cutting it.   

As Athenians, we are always concerned with keeping business local and supporting the unique identity we have.  Not surprisingly, there was nearly unanimous agreement on local business over big-box chains and putting those local businesses in vacant buildings before constructing new ones.  Most people agreed that we need more variety in downtown businesses, such as grocery stores and basic retail.  I can buy party dresses downtown, but no socks. As the city center, downtown should function as a necessity, not just an attraction.  

Downtown needs to meet the everyday requirements of all Athenians, not just affluent, middle-to-upper class, 18- to 35-year-old Athenians.  Several people mentioned that downtown should offer more for older people, children, families and the black and Spanish-speaking communities.  

Another, closely related concern, is the lack of transportation to and through downtown.  Creating a friendlier downtown for all Athenians is great, but it's useless if getting downtown is a hassle.  Many felt that the parking decks and the metered street parking need to be the same price, and that we need more frequent bus service with later hours, safer crosswalks and a trolley or streetcar circulating around downtown.

Of course, all of these ideas take money, but Crowley reminded us that we have three SPLOST periods between now and 2030, so we can choose to direct our money as we see fit.  If you missed the meeting last week, you can still fill out a survey on the website, www.downtownathensga.com/masterplan, and go to the Facebook page for updates.  Now is the time to make your voice heard.