ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority will invite the public to several meetings June 4-7 to give feedback on three upcoming street design projects -- on First, Ashley, Huron and William streets -- as part of its People-Friendly Streets initiative.
How does safety and comfort on the streets of Ann Arbor sound? Pretty great, right? The hope is that the initiative will create active street environments that support businesses by attracting more people downtown. The DDA plans to accomplish this in several ways, starting with restoring First and Ashley streets to being two-way streets and adding protected bike lanes, pedestrian amenities and non-rush hour parking along sections of Huron Street, as well as an east-west protected bike lane on William Street.
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The DDA hopes the public will turn out for these meetings, learn more about the projects and provide their input, positive or negative, on the future of Ann Arbor's streets.
“Residents, business owners, employees and other community members came out in March and provided input that helped us shape these projects,” said Amber Miller, capital projects manager at the DDA. “We are excited to share our progress and hear more from the community. Each of these projects will contribute to further strengthening the walkability, safety and vitality of our downtown.”
Beyond an open dialogue around these projects, the meetings will include presentations and two interactive Open Design Studio workshops. The workshops are actual working sessions for the design team, and the public is invited to see the design process in action. The feedback from the workshops will be used to shape the ultimate design of these projects.
Public meeting schedule for People-Friendly Streets
Presentation and open house: Monday, June 4, Ann Arbor District Library, Board Meeting Room 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Come to a 45-minute presentation with an overview of the scope of the projects followed by an open discussion and the opportunity to talk with the design team.
Open Design Studio: Tuesday, June 5, Ann Arbor District Library, Board Meeting Room 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Stop by anytime to review the projects, provide feedback and talk with the design team.
Open Design Studio: Wednesday, June 6, Ann Arbor District Library, Board Meeting Room 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Stop by anytime to review the projects, provide feedback and talk with the design team.
Presentation and open house with feedback stations: Thursday, June 7, Ann Arbor District Library, Board Meeting Room 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Come to a 45-minute presentation with an overview of the scope of the projects and a summary of the week’s activities followed by a discussion and a review of the proposed recommendations. There will be opportunities to provide feedback and to talk with the design team.
Those who cannot attend a public event can provide feedback to the DDA by contacting Amber Miller at 994-6697 or emailing her at amiller@a2dda.org.
To learn more about the DDA’s People-Friendly Streets projects, please visit peoplefriendlystreets.org.
About the Downtown Development Authority
The mission of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority is to undertake public improvements that have the greatest impact in strengthening the downtown area and attracting new private investments.
About People-Friendly Streets
People-Friendly Streets is a vision for creating streets in downtown Ann Arbor that are designed to be comfortable and safe for all users. This vision reflects the mission and values of Ann Arbor and has been part of the Ann Arbor DDA’s vision for decades.
Check out more Ann Arbor events on the A4 Community Calendar
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