CITY OF ATHENS PRESENTS BDT-DESIGNED UNION STREETSCAPE OPTIONS

After a November 2014 fire shutdown the north side of Union Street, City of Athens Mayor Steve Patterson saw an opportunity for rebirth. The mayor envisioned a revitalized pedestrian corridor as an extension of Ohio University’s Campus Green located on the corner of Union and Court Streets.

BDT presented a series of measured options for reopening the block to pedestrians and vehicles. At the April 2016 meeting BDT showed three designs that featured wider sidewalks, a landscape berm with trees and benches and improved street lighting. The designs also incorporated bicycle racks and parking kiosks, two elements that haven’t been tried on a large scale in uptown Athens.

BDT Principal Don Dispenza presented the preliminary streetscapes. Afterwards, BDT Principal Nicholas Bittner invited the approximately 50 attendees to write comments on sticky notes and place them on the images or designs they liked or disliked. The comments were then compiled by BDT and used to help prioritize the next stages of design.

On Union Street where the fire damage occurred, the sidewalk and a lane of traffic were blocked behind a chain-link fence for so long that Mayor Patterson and Bittner figured citizens had adjusted to the temporary arrangement. However, that wasn’t the case. The majority of participants overwhelmingly favored opening the roadway to two lanes of traffic.   

One concept that the city and designers considered is the parklet. These miniature parks serve as enlargements of the pedestrian zone into the street. They can be permanent or temporary fixtures for activities ranging from outdoor dining to gardening. One downside of this option voiced by many Athenians was it cut down on parking spots in front of businesses. However, cities as diverse as Philadephia, Columbus and San Francisco are embracing this new urban form.

As the project progresses, BDT is working with City Engineer of Public Works Andy Stone to implement the streetscape. The landscape berm from the preliminary concepts is retained as are bike racks and parking kiosks. One aspect that business patrons appreciate is that no parallel parking spaces in place before the fire will be lost in the street upgrades. The city has already installed a new storm sewer line to serve businesses as they go back on line.

Businesses on Union Street that were damaged by the 2014 fire have started to re-open earlier this year. BDT hopes that the new streetscape will give a complimentary finishing touch to this area that so many love.  The City plans to bid the construction early in 2017 once funding is in place.