Here's what's being called a "Programmatic Sketch" of the highest ranking ideas from the public for LeClaire Park. You're going to want to click on the image to be able to read the labels. I'll try to answer any questions about what various pieces are, based on how they were explained at the meeting.Here's a link to the city page that has both this sketch and the comment form. A link to that page can also currently be found on the front page of the city website.
Its a safe plan, in that I don't think any part of it will horrify the general public, enrage the QCTimes commenters, or otherwise galvanize people against the plan. I also feel that its a good plan that includes many different things that would help our riverfront and downtown. Its just a preliminary plan, so the guys at the Design Center are hoping to get a lot of feedback on what's good and what's bad about it. A few areas I know they want to know about would be a riverfront restaurant and where it could fit, what it would look like, etc, and also more details about what each area of the park would contain. Other things are whether the pier should line up with Main Street as the RiverVision plan shows, or line up with the Skybridge to extend that visually.
Hundreds of people are giving their input towards the plan, and this sketch shows that its being heard. If you don't participate in the process then you have no business complaining earlier, so...
Here are a few ways to let your input be known:
- Go to the 2nd version of tonight's meeting, which is Friday at noon in the Design Center
- Comment here, and the folks involved will hear the ideas one way or another
- Stop in to the Design Center and give your opinions
- Call or email Darrin Nordahl, Matt Flynn, or Steve Ahrens
- Use the automated form on the city website.
8 comments:
No boat is the single most positive change represented in the sketch. The boat's absence is monumentally great!
Does this mean there removing the fountain at Main and River Drive and moving it closer to the river?
Or is this other fountain in addition to it.
Dillon Fountain isn't going anywhere, its just "underneath" the dotted line representing the pedestrian priority street. I asked Darrin that myself last night.
Also, where the sketch shows what would be Main Street going South from Beiderbecke to the pier, would more likely be part of the plaza. Its just a sketch, after all.
One QCTimes commenter said something along the lines of "it's a nice plan, but it does nothing to separate Davenport's riverfront from a lot of others." I kind of agree, but it really depends on what the pier and fountain end up looking like. I'm also not sure we need 100 parking spaces. Let people use the garage and take the skybridge across. It seems a bit cramped. Reducing parking a bit may open up some space.
A couple people at the meeting had that view of parking and/or eliminating Beiderbecke. I defended it by saying that some out of town people will be driving down River Drive, and with the shrubberies (It must be a good one and not too expensive) and such blocking some of the view from the street, Beiderbecke allows them to get into the park and see what they're missing. Then they'll either park within the park, or park somewhere and walk down there. Also there's the handicapped access issue.
As far as making our riverfront unique, I'd say the simple fact that you don't have to walk up a flood wall to see the river makes ours pretty unique to start with. Then of course you've got the Skybridge, which is pretty iconic in my opinion.
You're right in the respect that we should accentuate what we already have instead of always trying to come up with something "new" and "iconic"...althogh I do see the push pin made a reappearance.
So, here is the feedback I left on the city's web site:
1. Move the pier to align with the skybridge (in the spirit of accentuating what we've already got).
2. Re-examine the parking. Do we really need 100 spaces? If so, could we widen Beiderbecke Dr. and add more angle parking for some of the spaces? I just hate paving parkland.
3. Nix the restaurant idea - things seem cramped enough as it is. If we must have a restaurant, put it where they currently show some of the parking. See comment #2.
I love the pier. No matter what that aspect should stay.
Having been involved in some long term planning at a much smaller level, I have come to see that the hardest thing to do, but the most important thing that needs to be done, is to decide WHY. Why are we doing this? To attract people? What kind of people? To entertain ourselves? To aid growth? To improve the environment?
Davenport seems to lack any sense of direction, which leads to the types of flailing you see occurring. What is it we want our downtown to do?
Before they flail around blindly any further, they must come up with some sort of long-range mission or plan.
Otherwise, how does one assess success? How can you tell if you're doing something right.
This is what I see as Malin's and the city's largest failure.
I mean, hey, its nice. Its what people want, but...so what?
That's why I advocate an artist park for the whole thing. To make Davenport a cultural center. To build off the resources we have. If you want, I can tell you how to measure and judge such a thing.
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