Downtown master plan charts ambitious future
OPINION: This piece expresses the views of the author(s), not tied to the publication.
Hutchinson’s official Downtown Master Plan was unveiled at Memorial Hall on November 30, 2023. Its ambitious scope presents a pedestrian-friendly downtown, better utilization of space, and a coherent business mix.
Public input remains open through December 18 on the plan’s website.
The next steps include prioritizing the plan’s multiple objectives, securing funding mechanisms (expected to be mostly grants and private investment), and building relationships between the city and private stakeholders.
Several items caught my attention, and I have many questions that I will be addressing with Downtown Hutch, the City Planning office and business and property owners included in the plan.
I am concerned about whether the loft apartments and proposed new living spaces will be affordable, echoing Hutchinson Human Relations Officer Dave Sotelo’s concerns about gentrification.
The proposed Walnut Street bicycle route is sorely needed. Currently, the only north-south bicycle route lies along Washington Street and begins in a neighborhood where people tend to bicycle for leisure and not for necessity. The bicycle route includes a non-controlled intersection at 5th Avenue, a busy east-west route through the city’s center. Having an east-side option makes it much safer for those bicyclists who won’t have to cross Main Street to get to Washington Street.
The plan completely ignores the area running south of Avenue D to Carey Park’s entrance. Several businesses have been established in that area, and a new store opened on Friday. Excluding that area, which is heavily populated on both the east and west sides, must, in my opinion, be fixed.
Adding better traffic control at 5th Avenue and Main Street presumably means adding left turn arrows. This is an important safety upgrade, judging by the number of accidents in that intersection listed in the Hutchinson police bulletin.
Memorial Hall upgrades and renovations to install air conditioning and fix the broken air handlers will turn that beautiful venue into a year-round space suitable for concerts, sporting events, conventions, and many private and community events. Currently, the building is too hot in the summer to utilize. Fixing it up will bring people downtown and increase foot traffic in local small businesses.
Finally, several historic neon signs can be repaired and displayed in Neon Alley, the parking lot area at Sherman Street and Walnut Street, adding classic beauty and nostalgia to the city’s heart.
I am very excited to see what particular ideas are prioritized, which are modified, and which will be discarded for (hopefully) better ideas.
I look forward to following up on the Downtown Master Plan’s progress and implementation.