Downtown Plaza Design
The portion of W. Fifth Street, between S. Center and S. Washington has been closed since the onset of the COVID-19 health emergency. During the closure the space was used to host street patios for adjacent restaurants, and as a result the conversation began on what this space could be if it was solely designated as pedestrian space.
Years prior, a portion of what was formerly W. Fifth Street, between S. Washington and S. Lafayette, was closed and converted to mainly pedestrian traffic when The Fifth condominium project was being constructed. This already converted area serves as a pipeline from the South Lafayette parking structure to our shopping corridor on S. Washington. With the addition of Baker College on Lafayette, this area is even more crucial to pedestrian traffic and leading college students to the retail corridor.
45% Concept Draft - NEW! (10/2/2023)
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Topographical Survey of Proposed Plaza Area
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30% Design Draft Concept
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Notes from Engagement Sessions:
- June 2022 - DDA solicited bids from the City of Royal Oak's precontracted Engineering and Architecture firms.
- October 2022 - DDA approved the bid from Fleis & Vandenbrink as the design partner.
- February 2023 - DDA's design committee (Infrastructure) outlined process with Fleis & Vandenbrink
- March 20, 2023 - First Engagement Sessions Held
- Adjacent Property Owners
- Business Owners
- City Staff
- General Public
- April 19, 2023 - 30% Designs shared with DDA Board and discussed
- April 20, 2023 - Second Engagement Sessions Held (Part 1)
- Adjacent Property Owners
- City Staff
- May 10, 2023 - Second Engagement Sessions Held (Part 2)
- Business Owners
- General Public
- May 17, 2023 - DDA approved the purchase of bistro tables and chairs to temporarily placemake the area being discussed for plaza development.
- May 19, 2023 - Both a Visual Preference Survey and Priorities Survey open to the public to collect feedback.
- July 20, 2023 - Both surveys close for data to be analyzed by the contractor and design committee.
45% Design Concept & Probable Costs
Tentatively planned for the September 2023 Regular meeting of the DDA
In addition to the engagement sessions, public meetings, and continued conversation about the plaza project, two public surveys were conducted to gather community input into the project. These surveys identified priorities of the community, as well as, visual preferences for design elements that provide the priority items.
Survey Results:
- Survey 1 - Priorities
- Survey 2 - Visual Preference