Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Master Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Downtown master plan team reports broad outreach, catalytic infill ideas and anti‑displacement focus
Summary
Staff presented results from an extensive downtown master‑plan outreach campaign — neighborhood meetings, signature events and online surveys — and proposed catalytic infill sites (including a student district) and anti‑displacement measures; the draft will be presented June 18 with a zone‑change hearing targeted for July 23.
Boyd (planning staff) summarized the downtown area master‑plan outreach, saying the team intentionally used many engagement methods — neighborhood meetings, signature public events, pop‑ups and online surveys — to reach groups not typically involved in planning processes.
"Our outreach philosophy was pretty simple. We intentionally, created multiple ways," Boyd said, describing neighborhood workshops, hands‑on activities and events at Phoenix Park. City staff reported strong participation metrics and noted that about "86% of those who took the surveys did not attend any of our signature events," a measure staff cited as evidence of broad digital reach.
The presentation grouped project goals into four themes: a growing downtown, a greener downtown, a welcoming downtown and a multimodal downtown. The team proposed catalytic infill on underused sites — examples shown included a student‑oriented district near the Good Samaritan parking lot, a potential school site on Newton Pike tested with FCPS, and a gateway at Vine and Main tied to the Town Branch Trail.
Boyd said anti‑displacement measures were central: the team prioritized infill and underutilized lots rather than taking existing neighborhoods as redevelopment sites. The plan also includes ideas for passive recreation, gateway treatments and multimodal connections to improve walk and bike access.
Next steps: staff will bring a draft to the commission on June 18 and the team aims for a July 23 zone‑change hearing to advance regulatory changes that would implement plan recommendations.
