With the completion of the
Chelsea Downtown Development Authority's comprehensive plan for its core, the city will be starting a streetscape enhancement project along Main Street (M-52), either this fall or next spring, according to Chelsea DDA Chairman Peter Flintoft.
The next step, Flintoft says, is to submit the plans to the Michigan Department of Transportation, as a good portion of the work is in the M-52 right-of-way. "We're also working on the project on Park Street, which would be to put in a barrier-free heated stairway and ramp system from Park Street down to the parking lot," he adds.
The project, designed by architect Lincoln Poley and Deardorff Design Resources, will "tie the library, City Hall, and the other construction that's going on around here together," Flintoft explains.
Included in the cost of the approximately $2 million project phase is the potential purchase of a 1.25-acre park area the city currently leases at Main and Orchard Street, across from City Hall. Plans call for a 1,200-square-foot pavilion with a stage, a concession stand, and public restrooms. Other features along Main Street include planters, bike racks, and outdoor seating on bump-outs in front of The Common Grill and Cleary's Pub.
The streetscape will be the first plan phase to be implemented. Flintoft says the DDA is also directing its attention to new uses for the Longworth Building, the former municipal building, Palmer Lot, and the Federal Screw Building.
Sources: Peter Flintoft, Chelsea DDA chairman;
Lincoln Poley, architect
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
Schematic provided by Deardorff Design Resources
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