Public Invited To Open House To View Preliminary Downtown Area Streetscape Concepts

For more than 10 weeks, residents have been invited to share their best ideas on how to improve and redefine Iowa City's Downtown, Pedestrian Mall, and Northside streetscapes by entering their suggestions on the www.InspireDowntownIC.com website. The website was put in place by the City of Iowa City as part of a streetscape project designed to refresh the downtown area's public spaces with a contemporary new look while meeting the evolving social, cultural, and commercial needs of the community.

The open-to-the-public, online community complemented the more traditional public meeting held in June, and allowed people to brainstorm a variety of new ideas and vote for those they liked best. Discussions were generated on improvements ranging from transportation accommodations, public seating, and lighting, to trees and plantings, special events, signage, and use of alleyways. 

Now, residents get to take a look at some of the planning and design concepts their ideas have helped generate. An open house is scheduled Wednesday, September 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Amos Dean Ballroom in the Sheraton Hotel at 210 S. Dubuque Street, for citizens to see the direction the plan is taking, view drawings, meet with City officials and project consultants, and make additional comments on the preliminary concepts. The event is open to the public, and public participation is encouraged. 

For the time being, the comment section of www.InspireDowntownIC.com website has been deactivated and will not accept additional input. After the open house has been held, streetscape drawings will be posted to the site and the comment section will once again go live so that members of the public will be able to review the ideas and submit remarks on the plans. In addition to posting on the website, comments may be submitted or mailed to City Hall, Attn: Geoff Fruin, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.

The consultant team will compile feedback from the open house and project website, refine their plans and drawings, and schedule one more public meeting to showcase the plans. The proposal will then go through one last refinement before heading to City Council for consideration and adoption. 

For more information, contact Geoff Fruin, Assistant to the City Manager, at 319-356-5013 or e-mail geoff-fruin@iowa-city.org.