Provo City Discusses New Master Plan for Downtown

By Emily Hudson - 14 Feb 2008

The Provo City Redevelopment Agency is embarking on a downtown strategy plan to revamp the Provo business district. The redevelopment plans will kick off Saturday. A meeting will be in Room 201 at the Provo City Library at 550 N. University Ave., 8:30-11:30 a.m. The public, residents and students are encouraged to contribute their thoughts and ideas. "There are two things that we're trying to do with this project," said Paul Glauser, the director of the Provo City Redevelopment Agency. "We're trying to achieve a common community vision of what downtown Provo should be, and to come up with a specific step by step action plan to accomplish that vision." Provo city's relationship with local college students is a topic that will be discussed over the course of the meetings. "One of the big things we're thinking about is if there is more downtown Provo should be doing to offer recreation to university students," Glauser said. "The students are encouraged to come so they know what's going on and so they can have a voice." Allyse Robertson, a junior from Idaho, likes the old feel of Center Street, but doesn't know what the city can do to make people hang out there. "It's not really much of a city center," Robertson said. "People only go down there if they hear about an event that's happening. But they have really good restaurants and stuff down there. I don't know why people don't know about those things." Glauser said ways local businesses can dress themselves up and be more appealing is one of the things that will be discussed at the meeting. A new outdoor plaza for the city is one of the bigger projects to be considered. Mayor Lewis Billings described the changes Provo has already undergone in the past few years as a rebirth. "Ten years ago, some thought we were a little disconnected from reality as we talked about plans for new mid-rise office towers, a new center for the arts, a bustling daytime business population and new downtown residential living units," Billings said. While Provo has seen improvements the city has not finished growing. "I predict that it will be even more exciting to see what happens in downtown Provo over the next ten years." City officials involved in planning this meeting are excited about some potential additions to the downtown scene, and are curious to know how the public feels about the suggestions. "We'll also be discussing the future of University Avenue," Glauser said. "There has been some talk of a bus-rail transit system, which would be a combination of a bus and a light rail system, that would run from UVSC to the Provo Towne Center mall. We want to know if that would be a good thing." The city has organized a group of people who have some kind of stake in the downtown district, such as business and landowners, who will run the discussion. But the public will also have room to make their ideas and opinions known. "While a lot has already happened, we have a wonderful opportunity in downtown Provo to create something even more exciting and incredible than at anytime in its previous history," Billings said. According to a news release by Provo city, a consulting team consisting of Cooper Roberts Simonsen Associates, and Design Workshop along with city staff and some other organizations will facilitate the planning process. Both companies have experience working together both in and outside of the state on similar planning projects.