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Town Clock Plaza Work sessionCITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA MEMORANDUM January 12, 2001 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Town Clock Plaza Worksession Enclosed are the materials from the public input sessions related to the future of Town Clock Plaza. The worksession on this matter wilt be held Monday, January 15th at 5:30 p.m., with dinner served at 5:00 p.m. M~chael C. Van Mfihgen MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel Tim Moerman, Assistant City Manager Michael A. Koch, Public Works Director Vt 'snbnqn(] C1BAiBOS J TO: FROM: SUBJECT: CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA MEMORANDUM January 12, 2001 Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager Michael A. Koch, Public Works Director--"~__~ Main Street, 5th to 9th Street BACKGROUND At the City Council meeting of May 15, 2000, the City Council directed City staff to develop conceptual designs on the redevelopment of the Town Clock Plaza with Main Street being extended from 5th to 9th Streets. These designs would then be compared with the conceptual designs developed earlier for redevelopment of the Plaza as a pedestrian mall. DISCUSSION In order to gain as much community input as possible as the Council deliberates on the future plans of the Town Clock Plaza, the following meetings were held by City staff and the Durrant Group, Targeted Group Property Owners General Public Downtown Workers Date January 9, 2001 January 9, 2001 January 10, 2001 Time lOAM - 11 AM 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM 12 PM - 1 PM In addition to the meetings, a survey was mailed to approximately 2,000 persons working in the Town Clock Plaza whose building fronted Main Street, to solicit their written comments, since they are the primary users of the mall area. The return rate on the questionnaire was extremely high, at 32%. Dubuque Main Street, Ltd. and the Durrant Group developed the questionnaire along with City staff. A copy of the questionnaire is attached. Enclosed are the tabulated responses to the questions asked on the questionnaire form. The rankings are from "1" (Not Important) to "4" (Very Important). The questionnaire was deliberately tailored toward soliciting comments only on extension of Main Street through the mall, from 5th to 9th Streets since that is the focus of this study. Nonetheless there were comments regarding the closed mall alternative, and "do nothing" alternatives. Even though these comments are not germane to the current issue (since we already have conceptual drawings on a pedestrian-oriented Plaza), these comments are also included in the attached summaries. Four letters, as well as statements from the DubuqueFest Committee, were also received which are included in this communication. Lastly, there is an attached summary of each of the verbal comments received at the public meetings that were held in January 9 and January 10, 2001. These comments are paraphrased from the notes taken by the consulting firm and City staff during these meetings. ACTION TO BE TAKEN At this time, the consulting firm and City staff is soliciting any comments on preferences or specific improvements, which the Council may deem necessary as a component of a successful redevelopment of the mall. Following this meeting, Durrant would begin to incorporate the public comments and the City Council's directives and will prepare two or three design alternatives. Additional public meetings and City Council sessions will be held as the design process continues. Once these conceptual street option plans are completed, the City Council would then make a determination of which design option (or neither) should go forward toward final design and construction. MAK/vjd Attachs. City of Dubuque TOWN CLOCK PLAZA AREA EMPLOYEE INTEREST SURVEY JANUARY 2001 The City Council is considering making improvements to Town Clock Plaza and opening Main Street to vehicular traffic. Assuming Main Street would be open to traffic through Town Clock Plaza, please rate your interest level in reference to the following Activities, Amenities, and Street Characteristics by circling the number corresponding to the level of importance to you: 1. Activities available in the Town Clock Plaza Area: a. Eating b. Walking c. Smoking d. Socializing e. Festivals f. Studying g. Shopping h. Coffee Breaks i. Other Not Important Very Important 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 i 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 t 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2. Amenities available in the Town Clock Plaza area: a. Tables b. Benches/Seating c. Shade Areas d. Smoking Areas e. Lighting f. Town Clock in Current Location g. Street Trees h. Multi-use Area for Group Activities i. Bike Racks j. Planters/Shrubs k. Waste Receptacles 1. Ash Receptacles m. Public Art n. Renovated/Restored Storefronts o. Easy Access to Both Sides of Street p. Transit Stop q. Food Vendors r. Restrooms s. Drinking Fountains t. Telephones u. Newspapers v. Information Board (Kiosk) w. Vending Machines x. Other Not Important Very Important 1 2 3 4 i 2 3 4 i 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 I 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 (over) o o Street Characteristics if Main Street were Opened to traffic: a. One-way traffic b. Two-way traffic c. No parking d. Parking on one side e. Parking on two sides f. Long term parking (over 20 min.) g. Short term parking (less than 20 min.) h. Drop-off/Pick-up zones only i. Pedestrian-focused improvements j. Vehicular-focused improvements Not Important Very Important 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 I 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Additional comments: You are invited to personally return this survey at a design Open House concerning the Town Clock Plaza Area to be held at NICC's Plaza Campus, January 10, 2001, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. If you are unable to attend, please return this survey to Dan LoBianco, Executive Director of Dubuque Main Street, Ltd., in one of the following ways: By personally returning or mailing it to: Or by fax: (319) 588-0645 Daniel L. LoBianco Dubuque Main Street, Ltd. 909 Main Street, Fischer Building, Suite 22LL Dubuque, IA 52001 If you would prefer to submit this survey electronically, please e-mail Dan at dbqmainst _(~mwci.net. If you have any questions concerning this survey, please contact Tim Moerman, Assistant City Manager, 589-4110. Breakdown of Plaza Employees Survey Responses Total Number of Returned Surveys = 637 not important Activities I 2 Eating 20 42 Walking 32 42 Smoking 409 34 Socializing 56 84 Festivals 57 70 Studying 240 150 Shopping 115 150 Coffee Breaks 163 103 Amenities Tables 43 75 Benches/Seating 21 47 Shade Areas 49 43 Smoking Areas 362 48 Lighting 38 27 Town Clock in Current Location 86 36 Street Trees 49 81 Multi-Use Area for group Activities 83 84 Bike Racks 137 177 Planters/Shrubs 59 95 Waste Receptacles 17 65 Ash Receptacles 235 82 Public Art 103 179 Renovated/Restore Storefronts 67 89 Easy Access to both Sides of St. 29 75 Transit Stop 153 78 Food Vendors 28 73 Restrooms 66 103 Drinking Fountains 78 123 Telephones 83 169 Newspapers 98 182 information Board (Kiosk) 117 178 Vending Machines 128 150 vew important 3 4 Sum Mean MostFmq. 160 341 563 3.46004 4 150 336 560 3.41071 4 21 51 515 1.44466 1 165 220 525 3.04571 4 136 289 552 3.19022 4 71 84 545 1.99817 1 183 136 584 2.58219 3 108 167 541 2.51571 4 111 341 570 3.31579 4 89 350 507 3.51479 4 110 331 533 3.35647 4 22 103 535 1.74953 1 136 324 525 3.42095 4 139 272 533 3.12008 4 142 249 521 3.13436 4 151 220 538 2.94424 4 167 130 611 2.47463 2 203 201 558 2.97849 3 128 297 507 3.39053 4 93 156 566 2.30035 1 155 103 540 2.47778 2 155 195 506 2.94466 4 143 267 514 3.26070 4 132 126 489 2.47239 1 202 216 519 3.16763 4 155 183 507 2.89744 4 157 176 534 2.80712 4 153 144 549 2.65209 2 134 89 503 2.42545 2 155 82 532 2.37970 2 154 94 526 2.40684 3 Street Characteristics One-Way Traffic Two-Way Traffic No Parking Parking on One Side Parking on Two Sides Long term Parking (over 20 mins.) Short term Parking (less than 20) Drop-off/Pick-up Zones only Pedestrian-focused improvements Vehicular-focused improvements not important 1 2 3 very important 246 76 47 74 187 68 71 127 203 68 43 142 235 76 62 60 227 64 49 99 214 62 63 107 205 61 88 92 174 85 90 113 53 24 87 303 202 85 57 89 Sum 443 453 456 433 439 446 446 462 467 433 Mean 1.88488 2.30464 2.27193 1.87760 2,04556 2.14126 2,15022 2.30736 3,37045 2.07621 Most Freq. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 DUBUOUE Main Stree~ f Verbatim Responses to TCP Employee Survey Please note: These responses were copied "as is" without editing by Dubuque Main Street staff. We made no attempt to correct spelling, etc. RESPONSES THAT SEEM TO HAVE MATERIAL RELEVANT TO ACTIVITIES, AMENITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS RELEVANT TO AN OPEN STREET THROUGH THE PLAZA · Try to lure more food vendors/restaurants to the area. If you allow long term parking, people will park there at 7 am &Ieave at 5 pm. Not a good idea. The only way Main street will thrive is to cater to the many people employed downtown, including reasonably priced food, a drug or dollar store & specialty shops. I believe we can build an attractive downtown Main Street area where everybody wins. By having wide enough sidewalks we can accomodate walkers and those who wish to sit outside. Also room for vendors. Open up Main Street with a Flexi-street option--it can be closed offfor festivals and parades, but open most of the time. Focus on needs of those working in Town Clock as well as customers and businesses. Need more food and beverage. Hartigs is sorely missed. Opening up Main may entice more of the above businesses to position themselves downtown. · Please put no parking signs at drop off areas on 8t~ St. Keep construction lirnited- it is inconvenient for people who park in ramps that are half finished for an extended period of time. As an employee who does do lunch occasionally and who enjoys the festivals on the Plaza, I do believe pedestrian-friendly improvements are in order. However, after several conversations with my fellow plaza employees over the past several days, one phrase keeps coming to m/nd in regard to most of their views: "self-centered." "We" are not out there very often. If it will help the overall business community and downtown in general, it is time to open it up. When or if you do open it, please provide for some parking contingency and some nice off-street lunch/meeting space. I'm hoping some restaurants, drug store, and/or convenience store will come and prosper in the new space, so we have some options. I know I will feel more comfortable with access in the evenings when no one (currently) is down here. Don't forget adeqtmte lighting. I like what is on 8th Street, but that might be overkill. It is almost too bright, but better that than the dim plaza we have now. As a 50 yr. old DBQ resident who currently owns a business & works in downtown DBQ, I strongly oppose opening Main St. to vehicular traffic. If it's done, it should be minimal. DBQ is now white collar downtown. It will never be a retail center. Make the downtown comfortable for a) 99% of the people who currently work hem; and b) for the businesses likely to be attracted to downtown in the future. Fargo, ND has successfully fostered retail stores (small, specialty shops) and eateries along one of the old main retail streets. They allow limited traffic with vehicle blocks (planters, etc.) and limited parking. I think the street is Broadway (parallels Main St.) some blocks away. 909 Main Street Suite 22LL, Fischer Building Dubuque, Iowa 52001 319-588-4400 Fax 319-588-0654 e~mail: dbqmainst@mwci.net I once was a proponent for keeping the plaza concept. I have done a complete 180 degrees change of heart. We must open the plaza to revitalize the retail sector!!! Especially with riverfront improvements; encouraging restaurants, shops to locate on Main St. is vital to making Dubuque an appealing destination. The aesthetics of the plaza have slid considerably over the last 10 years - it is no longer attractive and is only functional a few months out of the year. Let's tear it out and do something like the Cedar Falls Parkade - functional yet attractive. N~o meters! Otherwise the mai1, etc. will keep "killing" the downtown. Need to attract more shops. I think that many of the employees that work in the downtown area would enjoy an improved downtown-that included things that they would use such as places to eat, read & socialize. I think that the plaza could be a very nice place for both employees of the downtown and families of Dubuque if some work was put into it. Thanks! Dear Sir, It is my humble opinion that the problem with business in the downtown area will not be solved by opening the plaza to vehicular traffic. One major problem will still exist - a tremendous absence of free parking. I would like to see the immediate area surrounding the Town Clock preserved. This area could stay closed to traffic and could house tables, benches, food vendors and still be available for outdoor festivals such as All That Jazz. Thanks for the opportunity to input. Keep up the good work! Would like to see posted bus schedules for all to see. The street should be opened to give the area a chance to survive. The main attraction are the festivals in the spring and summer. These can continue and simply block off the street for them. An aesthetically pleasing design with trees and plantings is important. Why not refurbish empty storefronts so vendors can use them during festivals/activities (e.g. roll up doors) instead of being on the plaza. Opening 8th St. was a mistake! Opening up the plaza will not bring business back downtown, there isn't sufficient FREE parking, as there is on the west side, so I go there. I avoid shopping where I have to pay a meter. I can go to Walmart, Kmart, the Mai1, etc. and park for free & have more stores to go to. Town Clock Plaza is only a small part of "Downtown Dubuque." We need a vision for "downtown" that focuses on people activities such as: post office, art museum, court house, DLEC, working (office workers) hungry people, thirsty people. Also please consider pedestrian traffic and safety in any decision. Dear Dan: You are too young to recall the "glory days" of Main St., but certainly, of course your Dad would. He'd tell you of the wonderful parades and the many small businesses that lined both sides of the street r ..... c eat nga c tlzens env ronment for shopping, meeting, casual conversation, throng, methcal and legal services etc. However, times change - due to many factors, not the least of which can be laid at the feet of our previous city fathers and, of course the changes in marketing and the increase of vehicle traffic. So, I am NOT naive enough to believe we can nostagically recapture the ambience of "yesteryear," nor should we attempt to achieve such a goal. However, I DO believe though that we can energize the economic, entertaining, service-type businesses in the area besides increasing the use of the many "lofts" for residential purposes along Main St. - IF the plans are carefully thought out. FIRST: The area MUST be attractive to ALL folks, both citizens of the tri-States and visitors from afar. The "attractions" include: ease of accessibility, some shopping facilities, service facilities, public johns carefully designed and maintained, dining, entertainment (at least ONE movie house), legal and some medical service accessibility (nearby). SECOND: Traffic flow design must forestall "jams," and ease of parking, with generous treatment in the enforcement of parking violations for visitors. Some parking facilities could be put UNDERGROUND to maximize the real estate available. Granted, this is initially very expensive, but "one of these generations" have got to "bite the bullet" by exercising such a vision a/s/o/p instead of passing the buck and the costs on to the NEXT generation. - - In Salzburg, Austria they have bluffs like we have in Dub. They utilize them to put in multi-decked parking (and shopping) facilities equipped with exhaust fans et al. We could do the same. Mine the limestone or quarry it from the hills without damaging esthetics of tree cloaked hills and no longer would have to depend upon multi-storied structures that create "eyesores" and obstruct views of the river from several buildings already in place. Union Park in San Francisco excavated that park down three levels for a parking bunker and replaced the park atop the facility at near ~'ound level. We could do the same with our downtown park, equipped w/tunnel to post office and to Dubuque Bldg. etc. THIRD: Provide "incentives" for the Julien Inn owners to re-hab the hotel in a more modem genre' and add their own multi-decked parking ramp at the mar of the hotel ( City Center. Folks would have a look at the Mississippi by ramping up a drive for a block or two inside the flood wall on the east end of the parking lot and continuing north into what is now the Fischer property. FIFTH: Along with the development of a two way Main (once again), an intensive campaign to sell the city's NEW LOOK should be planned in conjunction with the city officials and the Chamber of Commerce. Utilizing cyber space, radio, TV (occasionally) promotional tapes sent to industries, travel agencies, and anyone wishing to "buy one" out of curiosity about our fair city. Planning should begin NOW to coincide with the opening of the new River Museum facility to capture as much of the satellite publicity emanating from THAT event as possible. Dan, Dubuque has SO MUCH potential, so we should NOT fumble the ball when so much is beginning to happen to the ole' town!! You and yours may NEVER get another opportunity like the present situation in your lifetime. GO FOR IT! I think the city needs to focus on the parking situation for downtown employees. Metered parking needs to be looked at. A person can't always get out of work at the exact time before your meter expires. The meter people are not very understanding. With no available spots in the ramp, it would be nice to pay a monthly fee for meters like downtown residents do. No one seems to want to work on this problem. Parking is more important to me than fixing up the plaza. Having a place to eat lunch in the summer/sprin~fall is VERY important. Being able to go outside and take a break. Having the festivals with food vendors occasionally is very nice also. Need better & more parking for employees & people who want to downtown. I drive up to Madison Wis. sometimes and I visit State St. it's full of neat little shops. I like to see the downtown area to reflect State St. of Madison where people can spend the day shopping in an outdoor mall. Like in the old days when JC Penneys was here. Please make certain that if street is opened (which NICC is opposed to) that it becomes slow speed quiet zone. We put large $$'s into buying, building & renovating as a learning center. The opening of Main Street destroys our quieter, less destructive environment. My opinion is you can have both vehicular & pedestrian traffic for limited speeds, parking and street vendors. (30 min. parking on 1 side of street) only with tables & benches on other side. You could also have all 3 on other side by creating parking "pockets". (Diagram was enclosed with alternating planters, benches, tables, and parking between 'bump outs') Festivals should be moved to the river basin or elsewhere with adequate space for spectators, vendors and free parking. The plaza area has deteriorated quickly due to festivals, vendor traffic and littering. (Diagram was a rough pen drawing similar to Cedar Falls Main St.) Having a place to eat lunch in the summer/spring is VERY important. Being able to go outside and take a break. Having the festivals with food occasionally is very nice also Light up the Town Clock! I'm not convinced opening Main Street will benefit downtown businesses, but I feel that it's going to happen sooner or later. When it does, I hope a large focus will be given to pedestrian and socialization needs - such as trees/planters, easy crossing from one side to the other, tables/benches, drinking fountains is a great idea(!), and that the area continues to be used/available for the festivals. There needs to be more areas to sit for lunch in the warm months and we need another drug/convenience store. If it is going to be open, it should be a two way sheet to remain consistent with the rest of main street. If it is truly meant to benefit businesses, the parking should be longer than 20 minutes. I wish there was someplace to shop for general necessity items now that Hartig Drug is closed. Would prefer no bus traffic, no smoking amenities. I work downtown at 799 Main and would like Man Street to remain a Plaza. The Main Street area is now an office district not a retail area. I would however like a bus scheduled so I could arrive at work by 7:00 am or 8:00 am and leave for home @4:30 pm or 5:30 pm. Please stop wasting money on studies. Opening Main Street will not bring more people downtown to shop. If it is opened parking is a must, these drop off zones are a waste. The street should be very pedestrian friendly. Features such as narrow lanes and bump outs would help this. There has to be parking. Parking can be on both sides of the street where space is available and if it is needed. Parking time should be limited to 1 hour max during 9:00-5:00.20 minute parking is best at high traffic areas to keep turnover up and abuse of the stalls by employees down. If there is a real interest in helping downtown circulation, 2 way traffic is necessary. Since the town clock is mostly office workers - ten hour meters are most important - with drop off meters coming in second - actually - town clock works should be exempt from meters or be able to get a reduced rate since we feed these meters daily. The street should be two way traffic, but very pedestrian friendly. Limited short term parking 20 minutes. Main Street should have ability to close to traffic for festivals, etc If the plaza is opened to traffic I believe it should be opened as a regular street with parking on both sides. I do not like what was done with 8~h Street at all. It is an ugly street. The planters do not match anything and look like they were,just stuck someplace. The street has been a mess with the snow. I think if we want a street then it should be a street. If we want to have festivals and a green area then let's make it a nice one. Trying to do both in the width of the street will not work If opened then I feel the buses should run down Main to 2~i and around. Can you guarantee commercial retail business will increase? If not, who would come downtown? 8th St. was a total waste of our money; this would be worse! 8th St. as reopened is of no use for pedestrians or cars. You can walk on the sidewalk but you'd better be careful crossing the street! I definitely feel that if Main Street were to be opened to traffic, you need to allow short-term parking versus drop-off zones. Keep the price of the meter for park low. Ia. City's Pedestrian Mall area works very well - this would be a good model for our improvement. It would keep a small area closed while opening up other streets and giving easy access and plenty of parking. I am strongly opposed to the opening of Main Street to traffic. There is a very large number of individuals that work in the downtown area. It is nice to have the plaza area as a place to eat lunch during the warm weather months. If the street is opened it will deter people from going outside for lunch. This will reduce the number people who buy lunch from the downtown restuarants and also shop at the stores during lunch hour. Opening the street to ~'affic will not increase the number of people who come to downtown to eat or shop. Why would anyone drive to a downtown restaurant or store when there is no place to park? Look at the recently opened 6th street as an example. The only parking allowed is drop off only (which, by the way, is not clearly marked anywhere near the parking spots). If someone does come to downtown to shop at a store or eat at a restaurant, they would still need to park in the same place they would have parked if the street was not open. If they do park in the drop off parking spots to run in a store to pick something up, they will get a parking violation ticket!! How is this a good thing for the community? MOVE THE TOWN CLOCK. More off street parking on rental basis. The downtown area is basically a professional business area with no service to the people that work in this area! Parking is very costly for those people that work in this area and other area's that has no cost attached when there location is other than downtown areas. If Main St. is to be modeled after 8t~ St. forget it. 8t~ St. was a waste of money and accomplished very little. Move "Town Clock" above Hartig building. Rename what is remaining of Plaza to: Hartig Town Clock Plaza. P.S. sell a few gallons of paint to KFXB Television Station to paint their store front. If the city is planning to spoil the downtown area the least they could do is put in something useful, a parking ramp in place of Washington Park! Please open plaza area to car traffic. Downtown is not thriving. Enough is enough. Let's try opening it up while achieving balance with areas for congestion. Trolley cars - make it a destination. RESPONSES THAT DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE MATERIAL RELEVANT TO ACTIVITIES, AMENITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS RELEVANT TO AN OPEN STREET THROUGH THE PLAZA. · The presence of a street may make the difference as to whether or not the retail we have now stays downtown. There is no real reason to open Main Street. There is no empirical basis for concluding that reopening Main Street will attract retail businesses or draw retail customers back downtowm The Plaza should be renovated without reopening Main Street, and this issue should be closed forever. As a person who works in the plaza and looks at it out my window everyday, I am opposed to opening the plaza. However, should it be opened, there must be some parking but not to the point of congestion. The drop off zones on 8a St. are inconvenient. The plaza is a pleasant area for those who work here, filling the area with traff~c and parked cars will ruin the atmosphere. Our office will probably relocate if the plaza is opened. · I support leaving the plaza closed if it is preserved for lunch breaks with tables, trees, etc. But if the plaza is altered than a street makes logistical sense. Plaza is a business area now, not a store front operation for retail stores. We who work downtown enjoy sitting in the plaza during lunch and breaks. Do not open to vehicles-put the $ toward other improvements. · Opening area was mistake. The closed streets were what made downtown unique-the open slreet is a pain and a tremendous waste of money. · Do not desire to have the Plaza opened to traffic. Open Main Street so we can get rid of that crappy, worthless plaza. Don't be afraid to spend some money on our unique downtown area here in Dubuque. Downtown Dubuque is the future and not the west end. Liven it up, encourage visitors, advertise the restaurants, renovate some lofts because its vitally important to encourage people to live downtown. To get people downtown it helps to have people downtown. I don't think you should open the Town Clock Plaza! I think businesses should stay and add more business shops ! If you close the plaza-where is the heart of Dubuque going to be?? Also, for those of us who work downtown - it's nice to go outside for break. Many wish that the plaza would not have been reopened, but the wishes of the few were apparently more important. Opening to traffic detracts from the overall look of the plaza. It had formerly made the downtown unique before the changes. PLEASE DO NOT OPEN THE PLAZA UP! I have worked downtown for 11 years. I enjoy being able to go out in the Plaza to sit and eat lunch and just enjoy the weather! In the summer there are so many people out in the plaza from all the businesses downtown that you can see and mingle with. Not too many people in Dubuque have that luxury! There is no place like the Town Clock Plaza in Dubuque As someone who works in the downtown area, I DO NOT want the plaza opened to traffic. When Main Street was originally closed off, it was because the city hoped to attract more businesses to the downtown area since downtown has lost a lot of business to the West End. And this unfortunately did not work. Opening the Plaza will not attract anymore business because the West End still has the majority of shopping attractions-not to mention free parking. As far as eating outside, if the The Plaza with Main Street closed has been another asset in the past and will be in the future for professional growth in downtown. Having worked in downtown for 22 years in sales/marketing, I oppose opening up Main Street. The Plaza area needs to remain closed to motor traffic. It is a pleasant area which meets the needs of people downtown, including the college. Save the money, don't destroy what is good! I am absolutely opposed to opening up the plaza. Not only is it an enjoyable area for the employees downtown to relax but the events held for the community are superb. It is also my opinion that you are asking what we think but it doesn't matter because you're going to do it anyway! You cannot capture what Dubuque once had in the downtown area. It was destroyed many years ago. Now it should be left alone. The town clock area is a landmark for Dubuque. Opening the street for through traffic would not be a great advantage to the downtown area. The "uniqueness" of the Plaza would be lost. During the summer months the Plaza is a great place for festivals such as Dubuque And All That Jazz (held once per month), Jazz Fest, and many other activities that take place here. It would be a great loss to the city to open the Plaza for just another street to drive on in Dubuque. Whoever thinks opening up Do NOT open the plaza. The plaza (pedestrian only) is a very important focal point of the community. I really love and appreciate the plaza the way it is now and do not feel it would be beneficial to open a street. As an employee of CIGNA we thoroughly enjoy using the plaza in it's current state and feel it would be a mistake to open it to traffic, as there would not be an obvious benefit in my eyes. Thank you ! Do NOT open the plaza to vehicular traffic. This is a business area, not a retaiI area. Leave the plaza closed to employees have a place to sit outside and each lunch/take breaks in the summer. Also, it should remain closed so we can continue to have events such as All That Jazz, Riverfest, etc. I have very strong feelings about not opening the plaza to a street. The area is not big enough this would causes me concern for my safety. For example there are been many times when crossing the new 8th street when cars are going by fast. I have been almost hit a few times. The cars are not looking for people. In addition, the downtown area is nice to walk through. We would lose this if a street was added. Lastly, the money to build a street should be used for other things in the community. You might as well open as the issue will never go away. It's not working now so we are not out by trying something different now as opposed to 10 years from now when cost is much higher. I don't think the Plaza should be opened to traffic. There is not enough room to accommodate all of the dowtown workers utilizing the plaza area and for vehicular traffic. Most stores go to are on the west end where you don't have to pay for parking. I don't feel that opening the plaza will have such a huge effect on our economy that it justifies spending over 3 million of my tax dollars to renovate it. With the new Chamber of Commerce building on 3rd & Main and new parking ramp, Main St. should be opened to vehicular traffic so it can be part of the river front projects and development. I am opposed to opening the plaza to cars. As a downtown employee, I enjoy being outside at lunch and breathing fresh air vs. car and bus fumes. This is a business area and not a retail area, opening downtown will not bring people down here to shop. The shops that are down here cater to the downtown employees and we are the ones that support them. I would be more likely not to shop downtown if I have to dodge cars and cross streets. I think it would be better for the businesses on Main Street to open it up. I already miss Hartig's and do not want to see others follow by moving out. The Plaza is fine the way it is! IT isn't a shopping area anymore. During the summer there are hundreds of people using the Plaza daily just the way it is. If you open the Plaza, people still will have to park on somewhere else because Main Street isn't wide enough to park on anyway. I think we could spent the money on better things than the Plaza. We should not open the plaza. It would be too expensive. Do not open the plaza to auto traffic] If we open Main St. (spend a million of tax $ to do) will there really be offset Bush revenue generated to cover the expense of opening the street? { If Dubuque renovates (builds) it will they (people) come (downtown)?} I believe the council has already a pretty good idea as to what they are going to do. Sometimes it doesn't matter what the public thinks anyway. This survey is senseless. They already know what they're going to do! Opening the plaza is not going to resurrect downtown Dubuque. This survey does not make a whole lot of sense because it is not going to save the plaza. Opening the plaza will not increase the business downtown. Save our taxpayers dollars! I don't think that the plaza should be opened because of all the people that eat or walk in the plaza. And of because of ail the festivities that happen during the summer. I am opposed to the opening of the street. Akeady the opening of the other side street has proved to be a waste of money and a danger to the workers downtown as traffic does not look for pedestrians. We have a major lack of food preparation businesses downtown already and need to have picnic areas to sit outside and eat lunch. The downtown area should be a place we can be proud of and admire, not a hazard for those of us working downtown. I believe opening Main Street to traffic in the hopes of new business to the Town Clock area is akin to finding a dinosaur egg and holding hopes it will hatch. I feel the plaza is fine the way it is and if the city is in a hurry to spend money, it can be spent in renovations such as the brickwork currently in place at a greatly reduced cost in comparison to opening for traffic. If the city goes forward with the opening of Main Street, I envision furore pedeslrian fatalities. I am against opening Main Street. Keep the plaza closed, we need to keep the area as a unique place to work, enjoy our lunches, and not be worried about the traffic around us. I do not enjoy the opening of the one street already, and as there are many oIder residents that visit the downtown area to do their business, we need to keep this area as safe as possible for them also. The extra traffic thru this area would not make this an enjoyable area to work in. I am apposed to the opening of the Town Clock Plaza. The townclock area is a landmark for Dubuque. Opening the street for through traffic would not be a great advantage to the downtown area. The "uniqueness" of the Plaza would be lost. During the summer months the Plaza is a great place for festivities such as Dubuque and Ail that Jazz (held once per month), Jazz Fest, and many other activities that take place here. It would be a great loss to the city to open the Plaza for just another street to drive on in Dubuque. Whoever thinks opening up the plaza for traffic is a good idea, is not thinking straight! I don't think the plaza should be open. I think it if you want to spend money, you should fix up the plaza and get the fountain running again. I do not want the Town Clock Plaza area opened to traffic. Petitions have been filled out as well as opinions voiced. This issue needs to come to an end. Please listen to the people that work and use the plaza on a daily basis. WE DO NOT WANT THE PLAZA OPENED. Don't take away the beauty and uniqueness of the plaza. With the number of people working downtown steadily increasing, I am very concerned that opening the plaza will endanger human beings. I have almost been hit twice in the past 60 days on 8th street. I have only been working downtown since the middle of November. Opening Main street will invite a lot more traffic and the hazards that accompany it. However, with that said, if opening Main street will get businesses to renovate the story fronts which will beautify our downtown, then do it. Maybe opening downtown will help pull it into the 4th street shopping environment. It could provide bigger store areas not found on Bluff Street. There are plenty of empty buildings in the area that can't keep business or are just simply empty. Why can't businesses utilize these. We have clients and employees from corporate that come to Dubuque and make comments how nice the Plaza area is and wish they had areas like this for them to socialize in, either for lunches, break or evening entertainment. I would be curious to know what businesses would come down hem if the area was open. Retail would have a hard time surviving. Your main customers would be noon time. Why not get the vacant building up the street filled before spending the money only to find out it may not be successful. The west end is the growing region, let it grow that way and let downtown stay the way it is meant to be. A nice relaxing place to work and relax. I love the fact that we have the Town Clock closed to traffic and I don't sec where opening the street up to traffic has helped anything. It's also not very pleasing to the eye. I would not like to see the Plaza re-opened. I fecI that there are more important issue's that money and time should be spent on in the area. I find it ironic that the road conditions are what they are in the area and instead of fixing what is broke, they are trying to break what is fixed. I really like the plaza being closed to traffic. I don't think business downtown will increase if the plaza is opened. The atmosphere in the plaza is very pleasant for employees in the area. Thank you for listening to the employees, too. Please DO NOT open the plaza. It will not provide any additional business to the types of businesses that operate in the plaza. The only retail businesses currently in the plaza will not gain any more business, nor will any other retail businesses locate to the plaza with an open street. The money spent to move the Town Clock again would be a waste and it is nice to be able to walk in the plaza without having traffic buzzing by. Opening the plaza to traffic would not be a good idea for several reasons. Many people who work downtown enjoy the privilege of getting out of the building at lunch time for a ralaxing lunch or to take a walk and get some fresh air, and traffic running through the plaza would be a hindrance to this. Also, destoying all of the plants and trees in the plaza would be a shame. In addition, events such as All That Jazz not be the same because the plaza is a perfect, central location for these events that give people alternatives to going to bars in the summer. Concerning the issue that opening the plaza to traffic would be a positive to downtown businesses, Mr. Har[ig and his friends need to face the fact that in today's society, people want that one stop shopping that the stores on the west end of town now offer. Opening the plaza would not generate more businesses or customers. They will still shop on the west end of town for convenience. I disagree with the opening of the Plaza. Because the employees of the downtown area need eating places, tables, benches, etc., I have completed the above sections to show what is most important to me as an employee of the downtown area. I feel that it would be a huge mistake to open the plaza. Please take into consideration the number of people that populate the Plaza during the day as a place to step away from work and relax. I cannot currently foresee a tremendous difference for the businesses I feel that it would be a huge mistake to open the plaza. Please take into consideration the number of people that populate the Plaza during the day as a place to step away from work and relax. I cannot currently foresee a tremendous difference for the businesses I do not & I repeat adamently,do not want the Plaza open!!! ! Renovate the site to be downtown Employee friendly-Put a Drug Store or Kwik Stop back in or move Dougherty's where Hartigs was. Since a lot of City Officials lunch there & Pat has such wonderful food but not enough room. Perhaps the City could help out in some way. I justed wanted it noted that I am not interested in seeing the plaza opened. I tmely believe that opening the plaza will only decrease activity in the plaza. There is simply not enough room to allow for any type of practical parking. There is more pedestrian traffic using businesses then will ever be created by a casual drive-by. The plaza provides a ideal location for community functions, these activities bring in large #s of potential customers. It is up to the businesses to take advantage of these opportunities. Maybe they should focus on the free advertising opportunities instead of trying to destroy the plaza. Working in the downtown area, I do not see a great advantage to spending rnillions of dollars to open up the Plaza. If the goal is to increase commemial traffic and to compete with the west end, I view this as a losing battle. Why not invest the monies in developing the plaza as a downtown business park? I am not in favor of opening the Plaza. Let's not waste any more tax dollars by opening this up. Leave it as is. Oh, and get rid of that ugly thing in front of the new CIGNA building. I would not like to see the Plaza changed. As a CIGNA employee, it has been nice to relax in the Plaza and enjoy the pleasant scenery. I would suggest removing some of the paved walkways and adding more grass and trees, a sort of "central park" in dubuque. The plaza is a great place for breaks and lunch. It also is a great place to socialize with friends who don't work at the same company. It is nice during Spring, Summer and fall to be able to go outside & relax - to enjoy the fresh air and nice weather on breaks when you're inside 8 hrs. or mom per day. If the plaza were opened, where could we go that we wouldn't have to walk 5+ rdnutes to get there? (Parks, etc.) Put transparent roof over entire plaza. If the town clock is opened, like 8th St., and there is no parking available. Where are the people supposed to park if they want to shop/visit one of the businesses located in the town clock? I feel that opening up 8th St. was a waste of money & should have been left closed. Please keep the Town Clock Plaza closed also. Working in the town clock, it's nice to walk out into the plaza an breaks and at lunch. I also think the access is so much better also I do not want it opened up! I think it would be a waste of money to change the plaza. People who work and live downtown enjoy the plaza. Opening would not bring more to downtown. The "Plaza" is a nice feature of Dubuque. Thank you. · I am not in favor of opening Main Street up to traffic thru Town Clock Plaza. · Your questions are nearly undecipherable! Opening 8th St. has shown no benefit of substantial nature, let's learn from that and spruce up what we have: I do not feel the plaza should be opened-the area is no longer a shopping district and probably never will again. Main Street also dead-ends! is not a through street so I cannot see how opening it will improve traffic flow. · Keep the plaza as a plaza without through traffic. It is a wonderful place for people to gather. Public restrooms would be beneficial. The downtown plaza should be left as is - or make improvements such as bathroom facilities for the large group activities that take place there. It is a very nice gathering area for groups and relaxing area for the business people downtown. Leave the Plaza as a "Plaza." · Leave it closed. Make improvements in the enclosed area. Do not open Main Street to traffic. Even if shops were on Main Street you would still have to walk to them after parking your car. Spend the money adding facilities for current events. Restrooms where you could wash your hands would be great improvement. Using port a poties during festivals is disgusting! Try having a 3 year old use one, it's worse! · I really hope the plaza isn't opened up to traffic. It is such a nice spot now to come & relax. I don't feel that opening it up will increase the number of people who shop in the plaza. The remodeling and opening of the plaza was a bad idea. It detracts from the quaint look that the area used to have, in addition to excessive costs footed by the taxpayer. Keep the plaza closed! I feel opening the plaza will not draw enough businesses to open downtown and therefore will not draw enough people downtown to shop. The new businesses will not make a profit. The plaza should focus on businesses that hire a lot of employees and focus on using the plaza for their benefit and also for activities and events as they do now. Please do not open the plaza to traffic. The opening of 8th St. has not seemed to convince many people. It is very congested and dangerous at times. This was a great loss to the taxpayers as will the opening of the plaza. I work at DHS and this will not help any of my clients as it will make pedestrian traffic dangerous & I doubt it will add convenient parking. People corning to my office for meetings will still have to use a rump or park on Locust or Iowa St. The area is great for socializing and meeting friends. · Keep the plaza the way it is with improved seating and shade areas. · I am not in favor of through traffic. I enjoy the street closed. It is nice to have a place where you can sit & relax during noon. Worked in downtown Dubuque since 1980! AGAINST OPENING MAIN STREET. I think Town Clock Plaza should be renovated with NO VEHICLE TRAFFIC. Why rain a good thing for 3 businesses? · I do not think that the opening of Main Street is a beneficial idea. The atmosphere of the downtown area is unique, with its "old-time" feel of a pedestrian plaza. Opening Main Street to traffic will destroy this atmosphere without adding a benefit to the businesses that occupy the downtown area. It is nice to have a place to go and enjoy you lunch and other breaks during the summer time. The opening of 8t~ St. has only served to endanger those that must walk through the downtown area. The closed street plaza effect is important for beauty's sake. A more concerted effort needs to be made to return stores to the area. I would hate to see the plaza changed into a traffic stop. It is fine the way it is. I think it would be a shame to ruin it with traffic. Opening up traffic would make it more unpleasant to work there. It would not help because vehicle would just drive thru & not stop to shop. More pollution of all kinds & make the downtown area less attractive. If the parking downtown would be flee, the downtown area would enjoy more visitors and business. We do need more parking but not that expensive. Currently very few businesses (shopping) available. This area is important to those of us who work downtown as it provides us with a place to go other than windowless offices! I do not feel that the street should open all the way through. It would take away flom the atmosphere that is here. This is part of history and we should preserve it. I firmly believe that the city can utilize any funds in fine tuning the River Project and leave the town clock as is. I am strongly opposed to opening the area to traffic or moving the clock. My clients rely heavily on the pedestrian area of the plaza. If this were eliminated, my clients would be affected a great deal. It's a shame that this issue exists. Are we considering removing a beautiful downtown mall area to benefit a few retail outlets who remain. On considering the needs of a larger population, the downtown area needs this mall to remain. I am not in favor of opening up Main St. to traffic. Please do another survey making the assumption Main St. will remain closed. These are just on the "assumption" that Main St. is opened. I don't think it should be opened. We need food vendors - office, and parking downtown. A survey of this type should not presuppose that the Plaza/Main will be open to vehicular traffic. Best solution is to leave it a pedestrian plaza. It was bad enough to lose it to 8t~ St. reopening. Keep plaza closed. The chance of business retail in downtown is very small. It is a professional plaza. Leave it that way! If plaza is opened we would most likely move our offices. 8th St. has created enough congestion and danger to pedestrians. Mr. Hartig cries that not having Main open caused him to close - it took him 15 yrs. to realize it, at his Main St. location. Competition flom large chain stores & the drug industry were the greatest influence. Leave the plaza closed. Who is going to shop down there? What is there to shop for? Put all of the money destine of taxpayers money when so many streets are in dire need of repair. Spend the money wisely - not on political pork!! ! As a worker downtown - I like & enjoy the plaza the way it is. Though 8~ St. looks nice, I don't like it. No parking at ail makes little sense. As a worker in the Dubuque Bldg. - quite disappointed about no exit near us for a year (& no one's fault). If Main St. is tom up I see more problems. There's not much downtown for people (except us workers) to come down here for, so why not leave it the way it is. Most importantly - ! am strongly opposed to the opening of Main Street - please do not think my willingness to respond to this survey is an indication that I support the opening of Main Street. Don't want it open! Didn't see why 8t~ St. was opened. Can only go 2 blocks to Iowa. Leave Main Street closed - On 8th St. place "No Parking" signs that are visible. I like the plaza as is, and as an employee working downtown, I do not see any benefit for the opening of the plaza to traffic-just more dangerous for the pedestrians. I think you are wasting your time & our hard earned money! There are more important things to do with that money like better our schools & churches, etc...for us and our children. The children are our future!!! I am opposed to opening the plaza to cars. As a downtown employee, I enjoy being outside at lunch & breathing fresh air vs. car and bus fumes. This is a business area and not a retail area, opening downtown will not bring people down here to shop. The shops that are here cater to the downtown employees and we are the ones that support them. I would be more likely not to shop downtown if I have to dodge cars and cross streets. The Plaza is fine the way it is! It isn't a shopping area anymore. During the summer there are hundreds of people using the Plaza daily just the way it is. If you open the Plaza, people will still have to park somewhere else because Main Street isn't wide enough to park on anyway. I think we could spend the money on better things than the Plaza. I don't think the Plaza should be opened to traffic. There is not enough room to accommodate ail of the downtown workers utilizing the plaza area and for vehicular ~'affic. Most stores go to are on the west end where you don't have to pay for parking. I don't feel that opening the Plaza will have such a huge effect on our economy that it justifies spending over 3 million of my tax dollars to renovate. I strongly oppose opening the Plaza to traffic. ][ don't think it will bring new retail business to downtown. I don't think people will come downtown to shop where they have to feed parking meters if they can go to the mall and shop I comfort, for free. If the city wants to get more business downtown, I think they would be off trying to lure more financial/customer service types rather than retail. The impression I've gotten of the whole situation is that there are certain wealthy business-owners who keep pushing the City Council around until they eventually get their way. The city has spent hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars doing surveys and plans, only to re-do them again when it gets down to making a final decision. I think it's a waste of my tax dollars. It was my understanding that the decision had been made to keep the Plaza closed, so why did the Council change their minds again? Another waste of tax dollars was to open 8th St. I don't see where that had any purpose at all, especially since the Police Dept. didn't have to open their parking lot so the street could go all the way to Central. I am against the opening of the plaza. I enjoy the ability to take a walk, socialize, and relax in the Plaza. I feel by opening this up it will be destroyed and businesses downtown will suffer and pay the biggest price. I enjoy watching the changes in trees, flowers and looking at the Town Clock. With placing a street in this area, all of this will be gone and look rather depressing. I have very strong feelings about not opening the plaza to a street. The area is not big enough, this would cause me concern for my safety. For example there have been many times when crossing the new 8t~ St. when cars are going by fast. I have been almost hit a few times. The cars are not looking for people. In addition, the downtown area is nice to walk through. We would lose this is a street was added. Lastly, the money to build a street should be used for other things in the community. I like being able to come down to the plaza for the community events held here and don't think it would be the same if traffic was there. The city should quit wasting money that only a vocal minority seem to want. The downtown area doesn't need to be a retail outlet! Very confusing question wording. I don't see any increased business activity resulting from opening 8t~ St. and wouldn't expect any different results from opening Main St. The city needs to accept the downtown as a business center and a place to gather socially after work and on weekends. Why would people come to the downtown area & have to pay for parking when parking is free in other parts of the city--makes the parking rate increase self-defeating. Why do we keep debating this? This multi million dollar opening of Main St. only benefits a handful of people. This money could be spent in ways that would help a larger part of the community such as education and school renovation. * I did not know that we had this tax payer surplus money burning a hole in our pockets.* Why waste the taxpayers money on doing this? We will have nothing to gain by ali this renovation. I believe the plaza should remain closed to traffic as it is now. You shouldn't have opened 8t~ St. As a new resident to Dubuque 4 years ago, my very first impression was Town Clock Plaza and what a GREAT job this small city had done in developing this great pedestrian mall. Opening the street would only make those people happy who use the alleys for shortcuts to avoid the traffic lights on Locust. I don't see where opening the Plaza will bring more business, two blocks down from there between White Florist and Plaza - how many buildings are vacant and in much need for repair. If you take away the one place the workers go for breaks, there's no need for us to leave work during the day, we'll do our errands on the way home instead. I hope Main St. is not opened. I do not like having 8t~ St. opened. I forget about it many times & have almost been hit by cars twice. Leave it closed and determine more creative ways to attract other businesses to the location, i.e. improved & reduced cost/validated parking. I personally do not believe that opening Main Street will bring back additional business. If money is spent to re-open Main St. - and businesses do not move in - who will pay the cost of this effort? Are the business people who are pushing for this m-opening willing to accept the costs of this effort? I am against opening up Main Street to vehicular traffic. As a downtown worker, I have been almost run into by many cars/trucks because they don't give pedestrians the right of way - even though the pedestrian has the green light & walk sign. I almost got killed a couple of times when I was crossing the street with the green light & the pedestrian walk sign lit. I also saved another person's life by calling out to them when a car was barreling through the Locust & 8t~ St. intersection. Dubuque-area drivers are not considerate of pedestrians & feel that there will be more injuries & deaths if this street is opened to vehicles. Ail this has happened in only 3 years that I have worked downtown. Why should the city go to the expense of opening the area to vehicular traffic. There is ample parking on the other streets and parking garages. The Plaza exemplifies the beauty of the downtown area and gives the employees and others i.e. Cigna, McKesson an area, other than the park, to break away. Have not seen excessive use of 8th St. since it has been opened. Dick Hartig's fight for opening Main St. seemed senseless. You can't tell me the delay of opening the plaza caused him to close his downtown business. I think a good businessman would not have based kis decision on just that especially when he was opening a new facility in Galena. I believe that "ail" (tax payers) who are "paying" for these "improvements" should have the right to · vote on how their dollars are allocated!! I do not want to open Main St. to traffic. I can see other mom important target areas for my tax dollars - children - poverty - homeless. I personally do not want the area open to traffic, t have seen no improvements or difference in flow since 8t~ St. was opened. In addition I feel we would lose a valuable location for Jazz and craf~ festivals as well as lunch locations during the warmer seasons. I don't assume anything - this is not the best use of the taxpayers money - I do not condone the continuation of this project. The plaza should not even be opened for traffic & this survey should have this as a first question!! Opening this street to traffic would be a total misuse of tax payer dollars. I do not want the plaza opened for traffic. I feel strongly about this. I feel that it is detrimental to workers in this plaza. I don't think it is wise to reopen the plaza to vehicular traffic. Learn from your mistakes, look at 8ta St. and the blunder that turned out to be!! It is always amazing when a few businesses overrule the general public. If they want it open, let them pay 100% of the cost and maintenance since it is for their good and not the good of the city. If you build it who will come? I do not see a question being asked as to whether I believe this project should even continue! I have not talked to one individual downtown that believes this is a proper use of taxpayer money. It is amazing how the small needs of a few business owners can superseed the will of the common citizens. The visibility, beauty, and historical value of the mall will prevail! Trust me-the city has not heard the end of this issue from the people! Opening the plaza to traffic does not make sense in this community. The public gets more use and benefit of the Plaza to hold festivals and gatherings than it would having it open to traffic. This downtown area is not active after 5:00 and people do not come here to shop because there is no shopping and there is no areas to park. Learn from opening the last street in the plaza by Dougherty's.......No value is added and it's just a pedistrian nightmare! I feel very strongly feel that the Plaza should not be opened to traffic. I think property owners should realize that this will never again be a retail center, all one must do is look at the empty store fronts in the downtown area that are not located on the plaza. Even the Walsh Store that has been downtown for many years and has a free parking lot beside the building is closing. This is a great community/business campus atmosphere and upgrading the plaza as a closed campus can only make it better. I prefer the plaza to remain the same. I am against opening the Plaza for traffic. I work at Cigna and very much enjoy walking around the plaza and eating lunch at the picnic tables. · . I would not like Main Street to be opened. I am an employee of downtown and I am against the opening of Main Street. Look at all the Money they spent opening 8th Street and for what reason and what benefit to downtown and the Employees of downtown. The money the city would spend to open Main Street could be used towards other areas of improvement in DBQ. The Town clock Plaza has a history that I would like to see preserved. · I am not interested in seeing Main St. open to thru traffic. · Let the Town Clock Plaza closed to vehicle traffic. It is nice and peaceful the way it is. We need more people places and not traffic places! · I am opposed to opening up Main Street. There am only two or three stores downtown. Opening up 8t~ St. only made a pretty mess, no traffic, no cleaning of street and losing Hartigs. don't want the street open to traffic. · I personally think the Plaza area is a plus for tourists and for those of us who must spend part of each day downtown and I am very upset at the thought of opening the area to traffic. · I do not want the street reopened. It is a waste of money. Businesses left because everything went to the west side not because the plaza was built. Do not want Main Street open! What's the point of opening it up? Consider the amount of money wasted in opening the plaza. If you've got so much extra money - give it to the Riverfront Development or to the schools!! That would be a much more useful cause. It's too late to open the plaza! would like plaza to stay closed! · I do not want Main St. open to traffic. · We don't want it open. · We don't want the town clock plaza opened. · Do not want Main St. opened. What a waste of taxpayers money!! It took ages to just do 8t~ Street - just a bunch of monkeying around. The plaza, as it is now, is a place to go and destress during the day. Time is very limited. So a quick walk outside to the picnic tables can be very important at that particular time. Going to the park would not be an option as it is too far to go on a quick break - even a 15 min. break. Sounds like decision already made. Should start listening to citizens and leave it closed. 4 million dollars could be use for other very needed improvements like streets and better maintenance of what we already have. · Not open to traffic. · Prefer the plaza remain closed. This is an office park area & we should promote activities/businesses that reflect that. Retail areas are better suited for 4t~ St., Riverfront & upper Central Ave. Keep Main Street closed-remove terrazzo & use concrete only-better for snow removal & long term maintenance. Lighting OK as is-increase amount of public parking ramps-encourage car pools for downtown workers-a live shuttle service from distant long term metered lots-acknowledge that downtown is business district-no longer retail with a major destination anchor-retail can survive-park & shop coupons-street open wilI not help retail sales-how can you buy a suit if you park in a drop off zone??? It takes time. All respects to Ben, but I've been there-Tourists won't care if street is open or not-they want to park and walk and see things. Oh-I'm glad to see that ugly covering gone from the west side of the 800 block. We were there when it was installed - UGLY! Landlords did it. Will take landlords to clean up, lessees won't do it!! Questions??caI1 me, George Robey, 583-8150. · If using public money, then public should vote on the cost. I believe this should be put to a vote of the taxpayers. Most important issue is access day & night to whatever business is left open or would start up in this area. There is no reason for the plaza to open any further. I feel enough damage has been done. Enough money has been spent and waisted. Downtown is a Monday through Friday office area now, not a shopping area. It would be terrible to open up the street. I vote no to opening the street. · Do not open plaza to traffic - leave it as it is. It is a nice area to socialize, eat lunch, etc. · Keep it the way it is! Closed to traffic. Opening the street will not bring any more "shopping" to this area. · Do not open the plaza. The only people that use it is the people who work downtown. The plaza will never be a place to shop. You've spent way too much money already, on the plaza. Spend our tax money elsewhere! · Keep the plaza closed. Downtown will never be a place for shopping. · I do not condone this project of opening Main Street to traffic. It's a waste of tax payer money. Use the money to fix other Dubuque streets. · I think this is the dumbest thing I have heard of since opening up 8th St. I would have thought you would have learned your lesson by now. · Let's open the street up so it costs "more" money. Money can be used elsewhere instead of doing this. · I think if the city has that kind of tax $ to waste they need to lower taxes. I think the proposed dollars could be put to better use. · I think that opening the town clock plaza to traffic would be a huge detriment to our downtown business area. · Oppose the opening of the plaza into a street. I would think there could be a better use of that money and I don't see how it will improve shopping downtown. If anything, I would think it would hinder it. · I think the plaza should remain a plaza and not made into a street. · Do not open Town Clock to traffic! Improve existing area! Recruit eating places in town Clock! · Leave Main Street closed to vehicles and open to pedestrian traffic only. The cost to reopen Main St. could be better utilized elsewhere. · While I th/nk there should be parking improvements I don't think this is the answer. I am strongly against opening the Town Clock Plaza to traffic. Maybe if there was vehicular traffic on Main Street some of the empty storefronts, i.e. Hartig's, wouldn,t be empty anymore and there would actually be something to do on a lunch break besides sit in the shade. Not in favor of opening up the plaza. Too much pedestrian traffic to open up plaza. Opening plaza may not make it more attractive to shopper - lack of convenient free parking. It would make it less attractive to be emphasized downtown. KEEP IT CLOSED. I think the reopening of 8r~ St. was a horrendous use of my taxpayer dollars. At 300,000 to 400,000 per block I have to think there are lots of things we could do to bet[er utilize this money. The businesses downtown need to offer services for the business people working in this area. I personally do not believe that the plaza should be opened up. I have lived in Dubuque for 39 years. Please keep the plaza closed to traffic as is. Don't open the plaza to vehicles. Put the money into improvements. The Plaza is fine the way it is! IT isn't a shopping area anymore. Daring the summer, there are hundreds of people using the Plaza daily jast the way it is. If you open the Plaza, people still will have to park somewhere else because Main Street isn't wide enough to park on anyway. I think we could spent the money on better things than the Plaza. Do NOT open the plaza to vehicular lraffic. This is a business area, not a retail area. Leave the plaza closed to employees have a place to sit outside and each lunch/take breaks in the summer. Also, it should remain dosed so we can continue to have events such as All That Jazz, Riverfest, etc. I really love and appreciate the plaza the way it is now and do not feel it would be beneficial to open a street. As an employee of CIGNA we thoroughly enjoy using the plaza in it's current state and feel it would be a mistake to open it to traffic, as there would not be an obvious benefit in my eyes. Thank you ! Do NOT open the plaza. The plaza (pedestrian only) is a very important focal point of the community. Open Main St so we can get rid of that crappy, worthless plaza. Don't be afraid to spend some money on our unique downtown area here in Dubuque. Downtown Dubuque is the future and not the west end. Liven it up, encourage visitors, advertise the restaurants, renovate some lofts bemuse its vitally important to encourage people to live downtown. To get people downtown it helps to have people downtown. I do NOT want the Plaza opened up to street traffic. Working downtown, the Plaza is the one place that is safe to walk and has easy accessibility to the downtown restaurants. I would be very disappointed to see the town clock area be destroyed in order to provide a street. It is currently the only casual yet professional place I have found anywhere downtown. I believe it would better suit the needs of business to have more office buildings (definitely renovate these old ones) so that you can at least present this as some sort of a business area where people are comfortable walking around the area they work. Whether you enjoy working at a company or not really can depend on pay and surroundings. I feel like there are enough dumpy areas in Dubuque and it would be nice to see something more "updated". If you don't get to that point there won't be many reasons for businesses to want to come here or stay here. At least the Town Clock Plaza reflects a starting place for the future. I am opposed to opening the plaza to cars. As a downtown employee, I enjoy being outside at lunch and breathing fresh air vs. car and bus fumes. This is a business area and not a retail area, opening downtown will not bring people down here to shop. The shops that are down here cater to the downtown employees and we are the ones that support them. I would be more likely not to shop downtown if ][ have to dodge cars and cross streets. I do not want the Plaza open to traffic. I think it should be left the way it is. The plaza is packed with people from surrounding businesses during the summer months and also in winter. It is a beautiful area to sit and relaxe during our lunch hours. Where else would we go, considering the downtown area is already packed with other usless buildings. To me, this is what makes the downtown area, downtown. If you want to open streets up, start looking at the other useless buildings downtown. Please do not open the plaza. It's a waste of my tax dollars. I think the plaza should be left the way it is. It is a nice place for taking breaks and eating lunch. I really do not think that opening this street will bring more people to the businesses that are located here. I don't think a bunch of businesses are going to flock down here if the street is opened either. If people want to shop, they tend to go where the stores are i.e. the mall. Stores tend to locate themselves where people go. Stores like Harfig and Hallmark only survive(d) down here because of the people who work down here. I don't know anyone in Dubuque who would drive down here to go the drugstore or to buy a ~eeting card. The specialty stores that are here like the Star Uniforms will get there business whether the street is open or not because people have to go there to get certain items. In conclusion, I think the plaza needs to stay exactly what it is, a place for people to gather and be able to enjoy a little nature and culture among the hustle-bustle of downtown. I do not see the need to spend valuable tax dollars to open up an area in the downtown plaza area. The decision was made years ago to focus retail development on the West side of Dubuque and this should continue. The Dubuque tax dollars would be more wisely spent developing downtown into a Customer Service/Financial industry hub with only those amenities necessary to support those services. Opening mainstreet to traffic would only emphasize the empty storefronts and would look like an alley. The community is much better served by preserving this area as a meeting place for all of Dubuque and such celebrations as All That Jazz. Unless all parking downtown were free, I would never shop downtown, no matter what retail establishments there were. In fact, even with free parking, I would not shop downtown. I like the convenience of enclosed malls, you don't need to worry about the weather and can do ali your shopping in comfort. I feel that it would be a huge mistake to open the plaza. Please take into consideration the number of people that populate the Plaza during the day as a place to step away from work and relax. I cannot currently foresee a tremendous difference for the businesses that are presently operating in the Plaza area. The way the plaza is used today is very important to the community (such as festibles and lunch hour). To open the plaza would cause this activity to decrease. The street that is open in front of the theater is not wide enough and cars park there where there should be no parking. The money that would go toward this renivation could be better used to fill the food bank and help Dubuquers pay for their heating costs. I would prefer that the Town Clock Plaza NOT be opened to traffic. With all the offices it is nice to move around the plaza without dodging automobiles. Eighth Street is a very expensive non- improvement now, we do not need more traffic in the downtown. We do need more shopping at reasonable prices. The opening of the plaza to traffic will not increase the sales; reasonable prices and good guality will. We already have the people downtown, and they will spend those paychecks if the prices are competitive with other shopping areas. Otherwise they will go somewhere else after work to shop. Opening the plaza to traffic will NOT bring more sales, us was proven with the closing of Hartigs and the Take 5 Shop, AFTER Eighth Street was opened. Also Hartig's prices were higher than other places such as K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, etc. That's what hurt them and forced their closure, not the traffic issue. IfI was not alreay working downtown, I would not drive downtown to visit a store or two just because I could park at the door. I would go where the selection was greater and the prices were right. Thank you! I am in total diagreement with the opening of the Plaza. I think a lot of people enjoy coming outside during the nice evenings to have dinner. It a nice place to take walks and talks. So my statement towards this whole opening of the plaza, rm against it! t personally do not want the plaza opened to traffic. It is so nice during the spring/summer to go outside and eat lunch in the plaza. Just being out in the fresh air. If it was opened to traffic where would 450+ employees eat at outside?? The curb?? I don't think so. Do not open up the plaza!! I am not interested in the opening of the plaza. I feel that is is fine the way it is. I am against the opening of the Plaza to traffic. I am not in support of the plaza being reopened to traffic. May be I am too young to know when the street was opened to traffic but that does not matter as Dubuque is not the same city it was back then. At that time people came downtown to shop but that is not the case anymore. I look at downtown as being a place of professional business and not retail. Main street is not 4th street and I don't see 4th street moving to Main St with no parking. What is the point of reopening the street to traffic for business's that are not here. I appose the street being reopened but would not complain to some improvements. The lose of the plaza would ruin the best area for people to gather not only at lunch but for festivals and music that makes the plaza what it is today. I believe that the plaza should not be opened. If you really think about it, why would ppl come down here to shop when they have to pay for parking? What big businesses do you really think will come down here. Most of us enjoy being able to go outside and sit in a nice place to eat or take a break. Alot of ppi are on the plaza when it is nice out. The sidewalks will be congested. What about the kids that go to NICC? Where should they study? Out in traffic...I dom think so! Why dont you spend ail this money on repairing roads or cleaning the roads better during the winter. What about education. Help the schools with this money. This is a HUGE waste of money! Why did yon even close the plaza in the first place if you are going to spend all of this money to open it back up? I believe the plaza should stay closed! Thanks for your time. I do not wish to see Main Street to be opened through the town clock plaza. I feel this would be a waste of tax payers money as was 8th street. Can't the city find much "better" places to spend money? !1 ! ! I do not want the Plaza opened therefore I am not filling out this survey. I think it's a waste of money! I strongly oppose opening the Plaza to traffic. I don't think it will bring new retail business to downtown. I don't think people will come downtown to shop where they have to feed parking meters if they can go to the mall and shop in comfort, for free. If the city wants to get more business downtown, I think they would be better off trying to lure more financial/customer service types rather than retail. The impression I've gotten of the whole situation is that there are certain wealthy Recommend no change in present. I see very little benefit to anyone with the new street that was put in. I think merchants are dreaming if they think that another street opening will bring more customers downtown. This questionnaire is suspect which requires assuming that a street would be open. Why not include the question "Do you want Main Street to go through the Plaza?" I prefer that the plaza remain close, but it does need some up dating. Opening the plaza to traffic will not solve the problem or bring shopping back to the downtown area. The downtown area will remain an area for offices. An attractive plaza should entice offices. Shopping, even in large cities, is all done at indoor malls and strip malls. I have been at many beautiful strip malls. Let's make a decision on this! This City Council did not make the original decision to close the downtown area, but has a responsibility as that Council did, to make decisions in the long-term best interest of Dubuque citizenary. It cost a lot of money to close the plaza, it destroyed downtown for retail sales and now you propose spending a lot of money to open it up. Such expensive decisions can not be made ad hoc. Where is the office or department of long range planning? Your decision will be unpopular whichever way you vote but only one decision can be the responsible one - the one that facts and figures-not opinions supports! The Clintonian approach to governing by opinion poll is unacceptable. What is that "BIG" white (ugly) box by the newly constructed building, Trilog. What are we trying to achieve here? The attraction of more office space leasees, more tourists or a thriving retail area? If I don't know what the goal is I can't answer this survey effectively. January 5, 2001 Town Clock Plaza Stakeholders: Friday aflemoon at 1:00 p.m. an impromptu meeting of plaza stakeholders was held to discuss how as stakeholders we can provide a unified fiont to express our interest in opening Main Street fi.om 5th to 9th Streets. One of the intents of the meeting was not to preach to the choir. We all understand the importance of this issue. In the past, however, we have appeared to some to be 20 different stakeholders with 20 separate ideas. This letter is being written to relay the ideals behind which we should all be able to rally. We felt that on Tuesday we can discuss the minor design amenities that would benefit us; however, we believe sticking to the following six points in solidarity is paramount to demonstrating our common resolve: · There must be a provision for on-street parking. (We will lose critical council support if we are not in agreement on this issue.) · Main Street fi.om 5th to 9th must be open to two-way traffic. A major goal in opening this area is to improve traffic circulation and access. The open street must included pedestrian-fi.iendly design elements, i.e. traffic calmers and safety elements. The design must provide accommodations for flexible use, i.e. parades, festivals, special lunch/public meeting space. · Deciding what to do withthe Town Clock is a design issue. The best course ofaction should be left up to engineers and architects. · An open design will stimulate economic development and reuse of existing space (We are not talking strictly about bringing back retail to Main Street - - - This is a common misconception throughout the community.) Having an open street allows us as stakeholders, not just on the plaza, to market our buildings for the maximum amount of mixed uses. We do not believe Tuesday's meetings are appropriate venues for "out-of-the-blue" ideas. We are not saying new ideas are not useful. We are simply saying our goals for the next few months are to present a united stand for the common benefit of downtown Dubuque. We want to advance the thought there is a consensus among Old Main Street, Plaza, and Upper Main stakeholders that there will be a positive ripple effect in all directions if we c~ eliminate this logjam. -- Thank you, :~- ~ :. Nick Schrup, Mike Steele, Joe Graham, Mary Ernst, Tom Karm, Tim Conlon, ::~ ;* --v ~ Ben Graham, John Gronen, Rich Young _ L3, -- ~ *Please direct any questions or comments to Ben Graham, 582-3760. r~-~ Mr. Te~-ry Divan, Mayor City o~I>a~e 13~ 2324 Maplewood Dr. Dubuque, IA 52002 Janua~ 10, 2001 the openm~plans for Town Clock-P!~. 'l:*,nemoderator,.bliow~d,us-a ~td~Ja~0fwh~.~ i.~, ~" ': 2001 ~I/~Rz20B1 17~2~ Sa~ 8, 2001 ~AI~E ~ th~ ~he ov~'all d~v~t of ~ P~uIa sttoultd be a tinge su~es~ ~ We ve~r much apl~drte ycu~ eoosidermi~ o~the above. GRO~N~ PROPERTIES PO Box 1862 Dusuou-" IA 52004- i 86Z 3t9 557-70 ! 0 FAX: 3 t o~ 557-3 i 59 JanuaD. t 1,2001 Honorable Ma_vor and Citd Council Members CitD' Manager Ci~- Hail Dubuque iA $2001 P~: Plaza Issue Dear Honorable Mayor and Council Members, Enclosed please find some historic photos ofdo,amtox~ Main Street. These photos were spomaneously passed around at the input session held Tuesday, January 9, 2001 and the response from those present was very. interesting. We felt it migdat be of interest to all of you to see and remember how Main Street looked. Wkh all the energy and effort that the City. has been putting into the Discovery Center and lower M'~a~ Street, there is no question that all of Main Street could thrive once again. ShouM you have an3' questions or require additional information, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thank you for your time. John ~. Gronen ~closure Plaza to Main Street Design Considerations From the point of view of a festival organizer, an open Main Street plan needs to have: · Updated electrical service with outlets on separate breakers throughout the area, with a greater concentration of outlets available in the area around the Town Clock (if it is not moved). · An area to set up a temporary stage in front of the Town Clock (if not moved) or in another area. · Access to water spigots at various locations around the area. · Tables and seating to accommodate lunchtime public gathering that can be moved to provide more space for events. · Waste receptacles that can accommodate the refuse generated by a festival crowd and are easy to empty. · Lighting more appropriate to the historical nature of the area. (It would be nice for a concert organizer to have some control over the lighting in the area near the public space/stage. It could be lowered during performances and raised at the end as a "time to go home" signal.) In addition to the above points, the following are a few non-essential amenities that would be nice: ,, Public toilets. 0Nhile it would not be practical to have enough public restroom space to accommodate a large festival crowd, a few would be nice.) · Green-space and/or planters with flowering plants and/or small trees. (While grass is not practical - most of it has been replaced with wood chips after having been trampled by festival crowds - I think some inclusion of nature is important.) · Drinking fountains. · Public Art. My personal feeling is that the Town Clock should not be moved if it is at all possible. It could continue to serve as a gathering place for friends and festivals. Imagine its potential as a landmark, as seen from upper or lower Main Street, marking the area as our city center. A roundabout would serve as a natural "traffic calmer." MEETING NOTES 01073.00 PROJECT: Conceptual Design - Town Clock Plaza Opening Main Street from 9~ to 5th City of Dubuque, Iowa PARTCIPANTS: Mike Koch, City of Dubuque Dan LoBianco, Dubuque Main Street, Ltd. Kevin Eippede, Durrant Angela Holm, Durrant Members of the general public January 9, 2001 The purpose of the meeting was to gather input from the general public about the design of the Town Clock Plaza as an open-street concept. These notes are a paraphrased compilation of the comments made by those attending the meeting. DISCUSSION RELATED TO FEATURES AND AMENITIES DESIRED WITH AN OPEN STREET CONCEPT: · Better signage is needed for way finding. · Fifth Street needs to be enhanced and to connect to the peninsula. · Let 6th Street be a picnic area for the office workers. · Don't make people walk through the alleys unless they are enhanced. · Public restrooms are needed on the plaza, especially for the tourists visiting Dubuque. (Many agreed on this point.) · Bus stops should be improved. · The upper levels of the downtown buildings should be developed. · Can a roundabout be designed for the clock tower instead of moving it? · We need shor/-term parking without meters. · Don't move the clock tower unless it is put back on the original building. · Don't put the tower back on the building, just move it to the West if needed. (This seems to be the general consensus.) · Lighting should be improved. · Long-term parking is also needed. · Will the Town Clock stay in its current location - can traffic be taken around it? (It was noted by the Mr. Koch that it had not yet been determined, but that it would be a strong possibility.) · If Main Street were to be opened, there should be parking and two-way traffic. Side streets should also be opened for access to Main. · Jerry Enzler stated that if Main Street is open, then the side streets should also be open. Wider sidewalks should be used, with dining space on them, and there should be a mix of traffic and parking. A little bit of crowding and traffic contributes to the urban excitement of a place. Meeting Notes ~4~44111~ January 9, 2001 01073.00 Page 2 ? · I do not like the parking/loading zones on 8~h Street. They should have signs indicating parking times so that people will use them - at this time they are not being used for fear of being ticketed. · Vacancies on Main Street mean a loss of tourists. Tourists are interested in shops with unusual merchandise. · Parking should not be metered but should be short term. The police can mark tires, like they do on residential streets. · Use architectural amenities, tike benches and lighting that will make a unified historic image with the riverfront and the rest of downtown development. Historic amenities are very important. · Design standards for storefronts should be created for an historic look, which will attract citizens and tourists. There is probably help from the city to restore and renovate storefronts. · There should be a mix of parking and open streets. · The street needs to be friendly and welcoming. · Access is needed for viability for business. · Citizens want to see people and activity downtown. OTHER COMMENTS: · Will cross streets be opened? · How will opening Main Street attract stores and retail? · Dan LoBianco, of Dubuque Main Street, Ltd., noted that the district has a 51% vacancy right now, and that many buildings are for sale. · What is the goal for occupancies? · Mr. LoBianco replied that he would like to see a mix of businesses and uses for the Plaza area. · We need to think about how the Town Clock fits into the overall vision. · I don't want to spend any more money on the Plaza. · Mike Koch noted that a great proportion of the street construction costs would be assessed to adjacent businesses at a rate which is higher than a homeowner would pay in a typical street assessment. · What percentage of the parking ramp on 5th is for short-term parking? · Can the Iowa Street ramp be expanded upwards? (Kevin Eipperle answered the question by explaining the reason why that ramp could not be added on to.) · What are the benefits to the citizens of Dubuque for opening Main Street? · Racine, WI just won an AIA award for its downtown plan. It seems that Dubuque does not have an overall plan for its downtown. You are "putting the cart before the horse", and we need to have a plan before spending money on one small area. · Take a look at tourists coming in to town - way finding is difficult for them. Right now the Plaza is a roadblock and a logjam. With all of the new tourists coming to town soon, we need to consider safety, infrastructure, traffic, and economics in this issue. Meeting Notes January 9, 2001 0 0 .00 Page 3 · Even city residents have a tough time getting around in downto · Money needs to be spent on the Plaza, whether ~t remains clos · A lot of money is currently being spent on maintenance of the Plaza. · Fire and Emergency access to businesses on the Plaza is difficult now. · The fire lane is still there on the Plaza, but it is not maintained for snow. · Opening Main Street would help relieve traffic to and from the Ice Harbor development. · How much revenue is projected to be brought in by opening the Plaza, in terms of new businesses and increased sales for existing ones? · Are any efforts being made to bring big stores to the downtown? · Mike Koch reiterated the need to focus on today's forum's subject, which are the desirable features to be provided in an open street concept. · Hopefully the open street will invite businesses back. · What's the big picture for this area? · What do we need to do to bring the people back to the downtown? · The Main Street should be part of an overall downtown plan. · I like the Plaza the way it is. · Stop building parking ramps and invest all that money in the downtown and the community. · We already have novelty shops at Cable Car Square - how many more shops like this can the community support? The businesses that will benefit from the Ice Harbor development will be the restaurants and hotels, not these shops. · I disagree - each dollar spent rolls over 7 to 8 times through the community. · Downtown Dubuque needs something to spur development. · What about the budget? When will the improvements be done? · Eighth Street has chipped curbs, tire marks, and oil stains. It already looks bad after only one year. The preceding constitutes our interpretation of matters discussed and decisions reached. Please contact the undersigned for any omissions or discrepancies. DURRANT Angela Holm Graduate Architect Enclosures CC: T. Moerman K. Eipperle M. Koch :ag w:\O1\O1073.00~tg\design~genera] public mtg.doc D. LoBianco MEETING NOTES PROJECT: PARTCIPANTS: 01073.00 Conceptual Design - Town Clock Plaza Opening Main Street from 9th to 5th City of Dubuque, Iowa See attached list January 9, 2001 DISCUSSION RELATED TO FEATURES AND AMENITIES DESIRED WITH AN OPEN STREET CONCEPT: Nick Schrup of American Trust mentioned his business' interest in providing access to his building for his clients, and that opening the Plaza to traffic would be an advantage to American Trust and it's customers - functionality should be the key to the design. He said that he doubted benches and tables would be part of an open street design. John Butler expressed some concern about traffic being close to his employees that work behind the storefront of his building, making working conditions noisy or unpleasant. He would like features that will "cushion" the traffic from the buildings like trees and shrubs. He also noted that tables and chairs would be appropriate in other open spaces. Dick Hartig of Hartig Drug Company would like to have 7t~ Street opened as weIl as Main Street to create more frontage for his potential tenants in his recently vacated building on the Plaza. 7~ Street is wide enough to easily accommodate two-way traffic and still have wide sidewalks. · It was also noted that the lot South of the old Cigna building coutd be used as an open space for noon visitors to the Plaza to use. Scott Schneider of NICC said that the college is not interested in having high volumes of traffic or parking at their front door. NICC wants to maintain a campus-like atmosphere, and feels that cars rushing by would be a detriment. It was generally agreed that the sidewalks, if two way and with one or two lanes of parking, would be two narrow for many fixed amenities. The use of color and decorative pavers, etc., would liven up the street. An open street, to be visitor/tourist friendly, needs parking. John Butler said that the drop-off areas on 8th Street are well used by his office. It was pointed out by several people that handicapped accessibility should be carefully considered, and could be improved with the used of similar drop-off areas and specified parking. One of the current areas for handicapped access and drop-off is Main and 9~ Streets. Meeting Notes January 9,2001 O1073.OO Page 2 Mr. Butler also noted that between the curb and buildings, he would like to see drop-off areas and planters. He felt that the current trees in the Plaza were too large. Steve Horman stated that the best solution may be to tailor the parking conditions to the existing buildings and uses with a variety of drop-off, parking, and no parking areas. It was generally agreed that this might be the best way to meet everyone's needs. · Nick Schrup favors drop-off areas for his bank. Ben Graham noted that the use of the Plaza changes by the time of day and that the elements in it should be flexible to help increase its usage. This may mean restricting vehicular traffic to certain times of the day or days of the week. It was agreed by most in the group that a two-way street with no parking in the Plaza would not be successful. Mike Steele stated that, of the property owners group, about 70% agreed that there was a need for at least short-term parking and drop-off areas. Steve Horman expressed the need to accommodate visitors and tourists with a simple traffic pattern and clear way finding, with adequate signage, especially considering the influx of toudsts expected to visit Dubuque and the new dverfront development. Dick Hartig feels that vehicular access is necessary for toudsm to flourish in the downtown area. The Main Street/Plaza combination should strive to bdng people to the area, and provide the opportunity for a visitor to happen by a store or business, park their car, and access the business. Linda Herbst expressed her desire to see an opened Main Street have a certain amount of quaintness about it, with the "Old Main Dubuque" look - its Victorian architecture and historic character are very important. It should also connect Lower Main and Upper Main. OTHER COMMENTS: Mary Pat Kerper of McKesson HBOC in the Dubuque Building commented to the group that her organization took on a large expense due to the modifications on 8th Street when it was opened, and expressed concern about incurring the same expense if 7t~ Street were to be opened as well. She asked the group what the real advantages were to opening the Plaza to vehicular traffic. Meeting Notes January 9, 2001 01073.00 Page 3 John Butler of Cottingham & ButledSISCO responded to Ms. Kerper by noting that improving the Plaza should help spur economic growth on Main Street, or at the least stop the loss of storefront businesses on the street. He mentioned that he owns two buildings across the Plaza from his business and cannot find a tenant who will rent them. He said that he felt the plaza was choking off business in general on the street. Mike Steele informed the participants of the discussion that a group of property owners and representatives from Dubuque Main Street, Ltd., have drafted a letter that outlines the desires that they have for the Plaza (see attached). Ben Graham of Graham's Style Store for Men reiterated these points and voiced his opinion about the drop-off areas on 8th street being unsuccessful because people are unwilling to park there for fear of being ticketed. · Michele Burbach of Walker's Shoes stated that empty storefronts are worth nothing, and that real investment in Main Street will increase property values. Mary Pat Kerper also mentioned that she was concerned about where the 700 employees in the Dubuque Building would be able to eat their lunches on nice days and that this issue needed to be addressed in the design. She noted that people wouldn't want to eat on the sidewalks, but that it might work to put eating areas in more concentrated pockets along the Plaza area. She is also concerned about the difficulty of dealing with semi trailer traffic in the alley behind the Dubuque Building blocking traffic if 7th Street were opened. It was generally agreed that nearby Washington Park is underutilized, and that incorporating it into the design's solution for lunchtime use was worth looking into. · The open-street concept design will strive to connect areas such as Washington Park, the Museum of Art, the Grand Opera House, and the Town Clock area. Steve Horman asked that group to make sure that mistakes made in the past in this area were not repeated, and to be careful not to harm buildings or businesses. It should be accessible to employees and businesses for all the uses needed, be pedestrian-friendly, and have green spaces. It should strive to strike a balance between employer, employee, and customer needs. Michele Burbach mentioned that having an open street rather than a closed plaza would make businesses more visible and would make it easier for fire access, maintenance, and would increase customer traffic. · Linda Herbst, representing the Fischer Companies, distributed a letter outlining their desires for an open Main Street. See attached letter. Meeting Notes January 9,2001 01073.00 Page 4 Joe Graham stated that he felt the open street was more important than the clock tower. Ben Graham thought that Main Street needs to be a special corridor and entice visitors and traffic to come into it. It should be pedestrian friendly and festival friendly. · Michele Burbach stated that the Downtown should be part of Dubuque's attraction for visitors and residents. · Tim Conlon noted that cues could be taken from historic downtown Dubuque - the old photos show life and is very busy with many people. John Gronen questioned the use of rough limestone planters as being inappropriate to the histodc nature of the district. He also reminded the group of the study that Dan LoBianco did of several communities around the nation that faced the same debate that we are facing now, how they handled it, and what the results were. Dan LoBianco mentioned that one of the cities he studied - Burlington, IA - is a good example of a successful opening of a pedestrian mall. Since it was opened, two sidewalk cafes have begun business there. People like to see and be seen. · The goal of this project is to facilitate a vibrant business district. The preceding constitutes our interpretation of matters discussed and decisions reached. Please contact the undersigned for any omissions or discrepancies. DURRANT Angela Holm Graduate Architect Enclosures CC: T. Moerman K. Eipperle M. Koch :ag w:\01\01073.00\mtg\design~property owners' mtg.doc MEETING NOTES 0t073.00 January t0, 2001 PROJECT: Conceptual Design - Town Clock Plaza Opening Main Street from 9t~ to 5th City of Dubuque, Iowa PARTCIPANTS: See attached list The purpose of the meeting was to gather input from the employees of businesses on the Town Clock Plaza about its design as an open-street concept. DISCUSSION RELAVENT TO FEATURES AND AMENITITES DESIRED WITH AN OPEN STREET CONCEPT: It was stated by one of the Plaza employees that if the street were to be opened, there would have to be metered parking for 1 or 2 hour time limits so that restaurants might want to locate here. The owner of Allied Camera spoke at length about the drop-off zones in front of her store. She supports longer parking times with better signage, dislikes drop-off areas, saying that they are abused by truck drivers and others, and that she would rather see meters being used there and on Main Street. Traffic control is very important if Main Street is to be opened. The street shoutd be narrow, the cars should be forced to drive around the clock to slow them down, there should be parking (which also slows traffic), and a four way stop at the corner of Main and 8% · It was suggested that the street "meander" in order to slow traffic and discourage its use as a through street, like the Main Street in Cedar Falls, IA. · There was much concern about fast through traffic, creating noise and pedestrian safety issues. Any new trees in the Main Street redevelopment should be larger than the ones planted on 8th Street to provide immediate shade. Messy fruit-bearing trees should also be avoided. · One person would like to see skywalks built. · Benches are a desirable amenity. · The main dining area could be centralized around the Town Clock area. Meeting Notes Januaw 10,2001 01073.00 Page 2 Mike Koch noted that it is important that the dining area function of the current Plaza be preserved. It is important to maintain and improve the historic character of the Main Street area. It is desirable to have continuity between street developments and tie them together, especially to other historic areas. There should be compatibility and interaction between these spaces. OTHER COMMENTS: Mike Koch discussed the purpose of the meeting and informed the group that the findings of the three input meetings plus the surveys that were circulated to the Town Clock Plaza employees would be compiled for the City Council to review. · A concern was expressed about snow and ice removal where alleys cross the side street sidewalks intersecting the Plaza. · Representatives of NICC expressed their concern about noise around their building, believing that it would disrupt studying and testing of the students. The preceding constitutes our interpretation of matters discussed and decisions reached. Please contact the undersigned for any omissions or discrepancies. DURRANT Angela Holm Graduate Architect Enclosures CC: T. Moerman K. Eipperle M. Koch :ag w:\01\01073.00~mtg\design\plaza employees' mtg.doc D. Lobianco 2324 Maplewood Dr. Dubuque, lA 52002 lanuary 10, 2001 Mr. Terp,~y Duggan, Mayor City of Dubuque cit._y mu 13u~ and Central Ave. Dubuque, IA 52001 Dear Mayor Duggan: Today I attended the meeting of downtown employees on the NICC campus regarding the opening plans for Town Clock Plaza. The moderator showed us a sketch of where Main Street would reopen and introduced an employee of the Durrant Group who would be doing the plans. They stated that the cost of opening the street to vehicle traffic was approximately the same cost as renovating the plaza without traffic; with the cost being over 3 million dollars Has the. Durrant Group or the city taken a look at the Town Clock? Who would want to occupy one of those comer buildings with vehicles Circling the clock? Cigna is a huge employer downtown; do they want cars driving past their new windows and be able to look in? Have you seen what NICC has done to 'their building? Their school atmosphere would be lost with vehicles so close to the classrooms. May I suggest that you have the original renovation of the plaza scaled down and the additional funds be used elsewhere in the city. For instance, as a 20-year do~mto,~m employee, I know that those tiles need to be replaced with something more durable~ Some trees also need to be replaced. But 3 million dollars seems very~high to me. I think the Town Clock Plaza is beautiful; it does need some changes but I'm sure it can be done for a much reasonable price. I think you, as mayor, should look into ~this. Please don't open the plaza to traffic just because a few business owners want it. I know that Main Street will never be the hustle and bustle it was in 1960, (and,I lived it)! All this happened with the building of Kermedy Mall. Nothing will ever replace the malls of tod~y! Be sure to listen to everyone;not just the property owners downtown. Good Luck! Sincerely, Betty Weiland 'DDWNIOWN OAK PARK I I 01 W. Lake Street, Suite 202 Oak Park, IL 60301 PHONE: 708.383.4145 FAX: 708.383.4975 E-MAIL: dtop@enteract, com January 5, 2001 Mr. John Gronen 1766 Plymouth Court Dubuque, lA 52003 DeaF Mr. Gronen, It was a pleasure speaking with you yesterday. I have enclosed streetscape slides of the former Oak Park Mall and Downtown Oak Park streetscape after Lake Street was reopened. In addition, I have enclosed our 1997 Annual Report which best depicts the changes in Downtown Oak Park in the first ten years after reopening our main street. As we discussed, reopening a main street pedestrian mall is a controversial subject, and to date we have detractors who long for the ambience of the former mall. That's because the wide open pedestrian areas with flowing fountains, landscaped berms and children playing at the feet of their grandparents sitting on one of the many benches paints a Norman Rockwell painting, but in truth that is not the complete picture. The r~estrictive traffic flow patterns and lack of exposure our stores received from the ~na~l . la. yo-ut negatively'impacted retail bus ness. -, .L Because of this and the trend for department stores to leave their downtown locations, Downtown Oak Park experienced a vacancy rate of approximately 30% on ground floor just over a decade ago. Upstairs office space was also at a high vacancy rate. For those concerned about retaining ambience, I say to them that when a downtown district experiences a vacancy rate that high, no amount of landscaping or water fountains will create a desired level of ambience. There is nowhere to go, nothing to do and properties are neglected. The perception turns to one of blight and eventually to questionable safety. And on that note, as you look at the potential project of reopening your downtown to vehicle traffic, I believe you can create an image that reflects your community and maintain a certain level of ambience with careful planning. This can be attained through wide sidewalks and/or maintaining a portion of the pedestrian mall (we did both), attractive landscaping, sidewalk furniture, public art and other creative means of effecting a comfortable, neighborhood friendly environment. Take a look at our "before and after" pictures in the slides. I think they speak for themselves. Downtown Oak Park...Not Your Run of the Ma//Shopping Experience The enclosed 1997 annual report provides the downtown history for the first ten years after the street was reopened. To give you a more descriptive synopsis, the Village invested in the downtown by reopening Lake Street, created additional parking and partnering with the Downtown Oak Park Association 1988. This investment and incentive tools such as retail rehab grants, micro loans and awning and signage grants encouraged private investment. We have a revamped seven screen, first run movie theatre, when we previously had a rundown second run one screen theatre. We have a healthy mix of national, regional and independent retailers and restaurants. Borders, Old Navy, an expanded Gap and Gap Kids and Pier 1 Imports are a few of the names we boast. Our vacancy rates for both retail and office space have averaged around 5% in the past few years. This came about only after Lake Street reopened. I believe the exposure gained from the 12,000 cars driving down our main street daily was the impetus to our revitalization. Let's face it, people in our society drive to their destinations. Our pedestrian mall layout did not allow them to see the fronts of our stores. They would not come to what they couldn't see. Exciting private investment projects continue. We are even considering reopening the small portion of the pedestrian mall that currently remains. This is a testament that we have maintained the ambience on Lake Street and have benefited from the traffic flow. But of course, ~ venture such as this is a great challenge, strong leadership and a united partnership between the busi ness community and the municipality are essential to make this happen. I wish you the best in your study and endeavors. Please feel free to call on me if I can be of further assistance. Executive Director