How many times have you wondered about why downtown St. Joseph doesn’t have something that you think would make it the perfect downtown, or wondered why the city does some of the things it does that seem to baffle you and your friends and neighbors? Well, never has there been a more opportune time for you to share your personal — or your neighborhood’s collective — vision for the future of the downtown area, than right now.
The City of St. Joseph has just kicked off Downtown Vision, a new master plan for the downtown and they are seeking community-wide feedback to help identify important issues and opportunities that need to be addressed through the planning process. The City is hosting two workshops to engage the community-at-large, and you are invited to be there to share what you’re thinking about Downtown St. Joseph.
Next Tuesday, November 13th from 6 until 7pm a Community Workshop will take place at the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, located at 700 Broad Street in St. Joe. The session is open to everyone — residents, visitors, stakeholders in the community and beyond.
The very next morning, Wednesday, November 14th from 8am until 9:30am, the same place will host a Business Workshop, open to anyone who owns property or operates a business in or near Downtown St. Joseph.
Immediately following the Wednesday morning session with business owners, all participants are encouraged to stay for the Downtown Development Authority’s monthly DDA Meeting.
The master plan is being designed to help guide the community over the next 15 to 20 years, and consultants from Houseal Lavigne Associates want as much input as possible to assure that all voices are heard and all great concepts are considered.
Even if you can’t make it to either workshop, organizers want your ideas and you can participate online by taking a survey available by clicking the link below. Houseal Lavigne has established a full-blown website complete with maps, documents, the survey instrument, flyers and more to maximize exposure and keep the flow of ideas moving. You can even click “Send Feedback” to ask questions, offer suggestions, or get involved in whatever way works best for your individual time frame and interest level.
Community Development Director Kristen Gundersen is hopeful that everyone will take a moment to look at the link and plan to attend one of the workshops or otherwise provide ideas, feedback, and their own vision for the central business district.
As they advance the plan, they remind everyone, “Together we can make downtown even better.”
Here’s the link for the website and survey opportunities:
http://www.hlplanning.com/portals/stjoseph/
Feel free to share this information and link with others you know who are interested in making downtown St. Joe better than ever.
