08-14-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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0 Downtown Framework Plan Update Stillwater, MN Downtown Stillwater is poised to transition from a pop- ular summer recreation attraction to a year-round retail and entertainment destination for both City of Stillwater residents and regional visitors. The recent completion of the Brown's Creek State Trail into Downtown, the antic- ipated elimination of traffic congestion in downtown resulting from the opening of the new St. Croix River Bridge in 2017, and the concurrent conversion of the Stillwater Lift Bridge to exclusive use by pedestrians and bicycles open up new opportunities to enhance the char- acter and walkability of Downtown Stillwater. The SRF Team is working with the City to re -envision their Downtown to respond to the opportunities afforded by these major infrastructure projects. We are: • Developing urban design approaches to strengthen the identity and historic character of the downtown district. • Collecting existing use data and modeling future vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian movements to determine how existing streets can be reconfigured to enhance mobility and safety of all street users (pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles). • Performing a market analysis to help inform the City and property owners of business types that would succeed and enhance the vibrancy of this unique setting. • Providing recommendations for convenient and clear parking and downtown access for bicyclists. SRF is also actively engaging downtown stakeholders through a variety of techniques such as walking tours, design charrettes, and meetings with focus groups, agencies, an advisory committee, and elected/appointed officials to ensure that the resulting vision is reflec- tive of the community's values and to build consensus and momentum for implementation of the Downtown Framework Plan. SRF Consulting Group, Inc.