Perry city council discuss expanding downtown during pre-council meeting

PERRY – A small area plan for Northside Drive was presented during Tuesday’s pre-council meeting.

Small area plan

Economic Development Director Holly Wharton introduced the Northside Drive small area plan to Mayor Randall Walker and council. Wharton shared the Economic Development department has been working on the plan for months, specific to Northside Drive, Macon Road and Meeting Street. 

The plan includes 25 parcels of land. Wharton said this is because of the increasing development interest in the Northside Drive area. She also shared the area is important to the department because it is a visible corridor into the city’s downtown. 

Wharton said the existing land uses are primarily commercial and vacant parcels.

Wharton said as they went through the process, the city wanted a clear focus, meeting with stakeholders, property owners, the Main Street Advisory Board and the Downtown Development Authority. There are four key focus areas including:

• Connectivity and walkability which includes sidewalks and crosswalks
• Public spaces and beautification
• Extending the downtown experience by making sure the area feels like the core of downtown
• Design and character

Wharton said as new developments may come into the area, they will discuss what the buildings will look like, what the Main Street Advisory Board will focus on and what the city will want to see in the area. She shared they made sure to ask them what makes downtown Perry special and how the feeling of downtown can be extended into the Northside Drive area.

She also shared they considered businesses and asked attendees what can make businesses feel like they’re welcomed in the area and consistent with the rest of downtown. Wharton said the area is disconnected from downtown because it’s divided by Commerce Street. 

Wharton shared throughout the meetings they had takeaways to focus on including:

• Activation of a Meeting Street corridor and adding sidewalks. It was also discussed potentially using a portion of property next to the Perry Events Center to create a street.
• Focus on community greenspace with seating, shade structures and possibly a water featur, creating a safe community hub where people can come bring their dogs and kids.
• Importance of sidewalks, crosswalks and improved parking.
• Focus on development design, ensuring buildings have their own character like the ones in the core of downtown.
• Ideal business and residential mix amid increased demand for residential areas downtown.
• Expansion of placemaking and Main Street programs.

Stakeholders, property owners, the Main Street Advisory Board and the Downtown Development Authority were given an activity. According to Wharton, in the activity, each attendee was given $5,000 of play money. The attendees will then distribute it among four different projects based on their vision for the area. 

The four project categories include:

• Sidewalks and crosswalks
• Parking and road improvements
• Public space
• Greenspace upgrades

Wharton provided mayor and council a chart to see how each group ranked the projects. The number one priority was greenspace upgrades, then sidewalks and crosswalks. The third priority was the public space improvements, including landscaping, banners, benches and trash cans. The last priority was parking and road improvements.

After the activity, the city developed six recommendations for implementation, based on focus areas and the important priorities they were able to notice through the activity.

Wharton said the recommendations are:

• Working with an engineer or landscape architect to design a plan for the greenspace upgrades adjacent to the Perry Events Center and properly allocating funding.
• Resurfacing and stripe the Perry Events Center parking lot once the adjacent property completes environmental remediation.
• Develop engineering plans for sidewalks and connectivity as private development occurs. Wharton believes this is crucial for connecting downtown to the city.
• Rezone the R-2 parcel to C-3 to create more consistent zoning in the area and work with the Downtown Development Authority to determine if and how much the property adjacent to the Perry Events Center would be appropriate for private development.
• Work with MSAB and DDA to coordinate the expansion of placemaking activities, which includes public art, landscaping, vendors and other programs. 
• Plan to expand programming with Perry Special Events and MSAB. This could result in expanding events like the Perry Wine Tasting event and more events on the Perry Event Center Lawn.

Wharton said the city has discussed implementing a similar plan to other downtown areas. She said the goal of this process is to allow the city, MSAB and the DDA to be proactive in what they want to accomplish.

City Manager Lee Gilmour said they will be coming back to mayor and council with a document and resolution to approve. The document will be the discussed plan and will serve as a guide for mayor and council. 

To view the small area plan click here.

Parking adjustments on Sunset Avenue

During pre-council, Gilmour informed the mayor and council of the parking adjustments on Sunset Avenue between Macon Road and Second Street. This was approved to go forward.

These adjustments come after a proposal Councilmember Dan Peterson made on behalf of the HALO group during a previous pre-council meeting. During the meeting, Peterson shared the group had nowhere to park one of their key vehicles used for transportation.

At the recent pre-council meeting, Gilmour informed the mayor and council of their solution. Due of the narrowness of Sunset Avenue; the city cannot add handicapped parking. However, the city is considering converting the street to parallel parking. 

The city is also considering making one of the spaces on Macon Road a longer and larger parking space, potentially for service delivery trucks and for vehicles similar to the HALO group. Gilmour also shared considerations to add handicapped access ramps. 

The parking will not only be designated for the HALO group, and will also be available to the public, Gilmour said. He said these adjustments will result in a better traffic flow on Sunset Avenue.

Reminders

At the end of the regular council meeting, Wharton reminded the mayor, council and attendees of Perry Startup Week, a week-long event starting on Feb. 24 to Feb. 28 at the Perry Events Center. 

Leisure Services Director Curtis Coates said the Department of Leisure Services will be hosting a Special Needs Family Game Night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. He said he looks forward to seeing families in attendance and hopes everyone will enjoy. Coates also shared it was well thought out and planned.

Police Chief Alan Everidge said the Police Department will be hosting a Citizen’s Police Academy. It will start on March 11 to May 6 and attendees will meet on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The department will also host a Firearm Safety class designed for senior citizens starting April 11 and a Women’s Firearm Safety class on April 12. To read more about the classes click here. 

Communications Director Tabitha Clark reminded attendees of the Bourbon Street Bash, a Mardi Gras inspired event. To read more about the event click here. 

The nationally awarded Perry International Festival is also coming up on March 1. To learn more about the event visit the city’s website. 

Mayor and council will meet again for their pre-council starting at 5 p.m. and regular council meeting at 6 p.m. on March 4. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings, and the agenda can be found here.