MEDIA ALERT
The City is collecting feedback on a series of design concepts for the Renew Jordan Creek project through a Virtual Public Open House available now through Sunday, April 11 at renewjordancreek.com. Visitors to the site will have the opportunity to review proposed usage and design concepts for the phase one project area and provide feedback.
Phase one of the project comprises two large blocks of the creek, bordered on the east by Boonville Avenue, Water Street on the south, Main Avenue on the west, and Mill Street on the north. Much of the project area is within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain within downtown Springfield.
“While this is only one piece of a multi-phase project, we are excited to reach this first step in the effort to daylight Jordan Creek,” said Tim Rosenbury, the City’s Director of Quality of Place Initiatives. “Located in the heart of the Jordan Valley and IDEA Commons, this public amenity should be a catalyst for additional interest and development in Springfield’s downtown. We encourage citizens to visit the website and share their responses to several ideas for the redesign of the space.”
About the project
Many visitors to downtown Springfield may not realize the Jordan Creek is flowing beneath their feet. Beginning in the 1930s, the creek was channeled through a series of underground culverts, where the then-polluted waterway could be hidden from sight. The Renew Jordan Creek effort intends to “daylight” a portion of the creek and bring it to the surface, helping to reduce flooding and improve water quality. The project is also viewed as an opportunity to provide an urban amenity and catalyst for further redevelopment along its path through downtown.
Phase one of the project comprises two large blocks of the creek, bordered on the east by Boonville Avenue, Water Street on the south, Main Avenue on the west, and Mill Street on the north. Much of the project area is within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodplain within downtown Springfield.
The master plan seeks to outline a design for the Phase One site and outline a plan for potential future enhancements to nearby Founders Park as well as a recently acquired property at 404 North Jefferson Avenue. This site was included in the community’s vision as part of the original Jordan Valley Concept Plan and is planned as a future phase of the master plan.
The first round of master plan engagement took place in January, with the launch of an interactive project website and city-wide visioning survey that collected more than 600 responses from the public.
“Input from the public visioning round of engagement is being used in an intensive and highly collaborative design process involving our Renew Jordan Creek Stakeholder Team,” explained Project Manager Kirkland Preston. “The ideas and guidance provided from that stakeholder group are being presented to the public at large through the virtual open house.”
The Stakeholder Team represents a diverse group of interests including downtown businesses, property owners, developers and agencies as well as technical experts in environmental, engineering and architectural design fields.
A third wave of engagement to help finalize the master plan recommendations and phase one site design will occur this summer.
To learn more and participate in the public open house, visit renewjordancreek.com.
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For more information, contact Communication Coordinator Kristen Milam at [email protected] or 573-819-3713.