NEWPORT -- Got an idea that would better unite the waterfront to the central part of the city? Improve traffic flow downtown? Ease the area's parking woes?
Put your thinking cap on and head to Thompson Middle School tomorrow night and Saturday. The Newport Redevelopment Agency is hosting a two-day "charrette," -- basically a grassroots brainstorming session for residents, business people and property owners -- to offer their thoughts on improving the city's downtown.
The ideas discussed at the charrette will help shape the recommendations to be included in a report a private consultant is preparing for the city. A team led by Taylor & Partners, a local design firm, has been hired for $50,000 to conduct what officials are calling the Central Newport Study.
"We're hoping for a big turnout," said Bruce Bartlett, the redevelopment agency's director. "We want to hear everyone's thoughts. We are hoping to spark interest and spark the support to move the various elements [of the study] forward in the future."
The city used the same charrette process several years ago for revitalizing Broadway, Bartlett said.
"It was quite successful, as you can witness from by the amount of activity along Broadway," he said.
The two-day event is free, open to the public and requires no advance registration.
The workshop kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. This session will essentially lay out the goals that charrette organizers hope to accomplish the following day. The goal of the study, according to a news release, is "to improve walkability, increase prosperity and enhance the character of the area for both residents and tourists."
The Saturday sessions begins at Thompson at 9 a.m. with a walking tour of the study area. The study bounds are Marlborough Street to Church Street and America's Cup Avenue to Spring Street, including Long Wharf, Washington Square and Gateway Center.
After the tour, Dan Burden of Walkable Communities, a nationally recognized consultant and principal member of the Taylor team, will give a presentation on how communities across the country have addressed issues similar to those found in Newport.
For instance, said Bartlett, Burden will likely have examples of how to improve pedestrian malls (like the one at Long Wharf), how to design parking garages to look less obtrusive (some officials want to see one built on Mary Street) and how to connect neighborhoods divided by highways (the way America's Cup Avenue separates downtown from the waterfront).
After a free lunch, charrette participants will break into small teams and discuss ideas for downtown. The groups will then come together and report what they discussed.
Bartlett said that a study advisory committee -- made up of representatives of a variety of business and neighborhood advocacy groups -- will get together a few weeks after the charrette. They will review the main themes heard at the charrette.
The consulting team will then work on a draft report to be presented to the redevelopment agency. By July, said Bartlett, a final report should be in the hands of the City Council.
Reporter Richard Salit can be reached at (401) 277-7467 or by e-mail at rsalitAT)projo.com.
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