The Uptowne Area Redevelopment Plan received good feedback from residents last Wednesday during a public open house at the TransCanada Theatre to discuss the plan's details.
"So far what we've heard (from the public) has been very positive. A lot of the people have been looking at the different concepts and the different ideas that have been put forth for the revitalization of the uptown core with the understanding that there has to be a mix of different residential and different commercial uses to try to get people back into the uptown core,î said Chris Ulmer, director of Parkland Community Planning Services, adding that once there are more people in the core, the commercial aspect of it can then feed off that.
Ulmer also said the feedback received around making the uptown more walkable was also well received. Making sure the uptown has adequate parking is also part of the plan.
"If we can accommodate the parking and have that pedestrian-friendly environment, then that's going to be a much more desirable place for people to come and it's going to attract people not just from the immediate area but from the rest of the town. Overall, it's been very positive feedback,î he said.
The focus of the area redevelopment plan is to make sure that the uptown core remains a vibrant place.
The plan also lays the framework for the type of streetscaping the core will have as well.
Gordon Lau, an urban planner with Stantec Consulting, said the streetscaping plan that was also presented at the open house is the visual part of the plan that people will see uptown that will result from the Uptowne Area Redevelopment Plan. The streetscaping plan will also incorporate part of the town's 2013 capital budget as well.
"I think what we're doing is giving it a vision, so it's about creating consistency, it's helping the town visualize what the plan will ultimately look like,î he said.
The streetscaping plan envisions a rustic design, working with what is already in the core, while a second approach envisions making each property the best it can be, while incorporating pedestrian-friendly areas.
"In the second alternative where we can start from scratch, that's where we can really start to bring in more facilities and more amenities and we can start bringing in pedestrian crossings, Ö sidewalks, making wider areas, bringing in more permanent planters and features,î said Kathryn Guenther, a landscape architect with Stantec.
Leon Durand, chair of the Uptowne Olds committee, said he was pleased to see some of the streetscaping ideas that the group has been advocating for laid out.
"It was nice to see the thoughts still in there for extending 51st (Avenue) to Highway 27 because that's crucial to uptown's future Ö having that extra entrance to the uptown core. It looks like there's been a fair bit of thought put in there,î he said.
The planners and committee struck to review the plan will now take the feedback and review it before making revisions and then putting it before town council for a public hearing at a later date.
