An updated design of the proposed downtown plaza project for Market Street was presented Monday during “Lunch with the Design Team,” and the event provided the chance for feedback and questions before the plans are finalized.
A few dozen community members attended the meeting at the Arts, Commerce and Visitors Centre. Mark Reinhard of Engineering Resources wrote down ideas as Bluffton NOW! President Michael Lautzenheiser Jr. moderated the discussion.
Lautzenheiser asked those in attendance for potential uses for the community plaza, starting off by noting Bluffton NOW! hopes to use the space for a monthly event in the spring and summer months. He also said the group is working with Bluffton High School students to come up with youth-oriented events as well.
Other events mentioned included farmers’ markets and recurring events on Saturdays for artisans and musicians. The potential for a go-to destination for photography backgrounds or venues for the Parlor City Christmas and block parties were also brought up, as were a need for wireless internet capabilities.
Lautzenheiser said many downtown business owners feel like they must shut down during the week of the Bluffton Free Street Fair, so a place to allow them to sell some of their products during that week would be a “neat way to marry them together,” he said.
When he asked if there were any features of the plaza plans the public would like the designers to review or add, several people discussed the need for both green space and usable “hardscaping.”
Reinhard noted a need for a “flexible balance” between the two. He said they are looking into different ways to make the plaza look like more than one big cement pad, such as colored pavers and stamped concrete.
Other concerns included people allowing their pets to use the space to dispose of waste; electrical and drainage connections for vendors or concerts; enough benches, tables and seating; and the courthouse’s mechanical equipment.
When asked if there was a way to make the courthouse’s equipment “less obtrusive” in the project, and Lautzenheiser said they are prepared to work around the HVAC system and trash containers to the west side of the building.
Reinhard said they are looking into a screen wall or a fence that plants could grow on to make the area “aesthetically pleasing.”
The updated rendering included reworking the north-facing courthouse steps by removing the middle section and making that the main entrance. It also includes the historic cannon remaining north of the stairs.
Lautzenheiser said a discussion secondary to the plaza project is the idea to use LED lights to make the plaza, nearby alleys and side streets bright, safe and inviting. Reinhard said they are using the same firm that consulted with the Wells County Public Library and the ACVC to make sure there is enough power at the plaza.
After a concern was expressed regarding if there is enough parking downtown to accommodate increased interest and traffic, Lautzenheiser said there is an idea to connect the downtown parking lots with these well-lit alleyways and with signs that point people in the right direction.
He said they want to change the culture that people have to park in front of the store they are going to — and can instead park a few blocks away and have the full downtown experience.
Lautzenheiser said that fundraising efforts will now begin in earnest and depending on how that goes, movement in the project may be seen later this year.
The Bluffton NOW! group is invested in making the downtown a better place to live, work and play, he said.
“We want downtown to be a reason why people stay,” he added, “and why people come.”