Firm tapped for Margaret St. study
Sep. 21—PLATTSBURGH — The city has selected planning firm C&S Companies to advance its reimagination of three key downtown roadways: Margaret, Brinkerhoff and Court streets.
"This is one of the major centers of commerce that we offer for tourists and it looks horrible," Plattsburgh City Mayor Christopher Rosenquest said. "We want to have it look great. We want it to be welcoming. We want vendors and business owners to be proud of it.
"That's the kind of work that we're looking at."
FEEL LIKE HOME
Plattsburgh City officials sought a firm to conduct a concept study and preliminary design report for the three streets, and C&S Companies earlier this month was one of two planning firms to present to the City Common Council in a vie for the bid.
City councilors last Thursday selected C&S for the project.
The firm has an office on Arkansas Avenue in the Town of Plattsburgh, as well as several other locations in New York, the Midwest, Florida, California and Arizona.
In its council presentation, C&S emphasized public outreach and community input, and vowed to keep ideologies, like complete streets, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) compliance and placemaking, at the forefront of any design plans.
"We want Margaret Street to feel like a comfortable place, a home," C&S Companies Project Manager Kelli McArdell had said. "A place individuals can go and stay."
ONE WAY, TWO WAY, NO WAY
As previously reported by the Press-Republican, C&S Companies discussed potential updates to Margaret Street between Cornelia and Broad streets, including traffic adjustments.
That section of the city street is a main downtown thoroughfare housing several restaurants, offices and shops, and providing on-street parking for the near entire stretch.
Using community feedback, C&S Companies said it would examine whether or not the street should continue to function as a two-way traffic street or transition to a one-way traffic street, pedestrian-only street or a "living street."
The latter option, a translation from the Dutch word "woonerf," refers to a street that is shared between bicycles, pedestrians and vehicles.
C&S Companies Principal in Charge Todd Humphrey had told councilors that option would be constructed to discourage traffic, while, at the same time, allowing parking and drop-offs.
"You're really taking that space and turning it over to people walking, making it more of a gathering space without having to completely re-route traffic," Humphrey had said.
ENGAGEMENT EMPHASIS
The sections of Brinkerhoff between Beekman and Margaret streets and Court Street between Beekman Street and City Hall Place are the other two roadway sections being eyed for reconstruction.
C&S noted possible improvements to the city's outdoor dining "parklets," adjustments to downtown textures and colors, and updates to bike infrastructure, sidewalks and crosswalks.
Mayor Rosenquest said he appreciated the firm's dedication to community engagement.
"I think it's really important for people to understand there is a process for this. It's not going to be, like, OK, we sign the agreement, create a plan and start digging in the ground. This is going to be significant for us, so there is going to be a lot of community engagement involved.
"If people want to have a say in this, there will be a lot of opportunity for people to have a say."
C&S was the planning firm behind the ongoing updates to Cogan Avenue and has completed several other projects countywide.
"We've worked with C&S in the city before and they've been good," the mayor said. "They've provided really good work in the City of Plattsburgh and it's something that we would like to leverage."
'TIME IS NOW'
The mayor expected C&S to begin its study before the end of this month and said work to Margaret, Brinkerhoff and Court streets is expected to occur over the next two and a half years.
"Those are our main downtown city streets. Anything that we do down there causes major disruptions. We know Margaret Street has infrastructure that dates back to the 1800s. These are improvements that we need to make; the time to make them is now."
Especially given the recent work to turn a grassy lot between Margaret and Durkee streets into the Betty Little Arts Park, he added.
"Let's build on the success of the Arts Park, build on the beautification of the Arts Park. Let's expand that out and let's take a look at some of these major downtown streets that really need some work."
Email McKenzie Delisle:
Twitter: @McKenzieDelisle
