Residents of Warner Robins received the first glimpse of what their downtown might look like in the future, Thursday during a public meeting at the Civic Center.
Urban Design Association out of Pittsburgh, which has been contracted by the city to provide that “master plan” for revitalization, at that venue unveiled – via maps but one in particular – the culmination of their efforts to date. Needless to say, it is a thing of beauty. Utopia, “old Southern style” was one of the many terms used to describe some areas by Paul Ostergaard, vice president of the company, if it all becomes a reality, is not an understatement.
The far north end of town – pretty much the majority of the design efforts were focused on the east side of Davis Drive from where it intersects Highway 247 on down to where it meets Russell Parkway – Ostergaard said, is best suited – based on its proximity to Robins Air Force Base and subsequent flight patterns – for some type of “high-tech” village. “Lockheed, Boeing, types like that,” he said. “There are other types, it doesn’t have to be aerospace related. It’s just that those types based on the base are more of a logical choice.”
For the area farthest south and east, UDA has designed a major sports complex (something the city has also talked about in the past). Their suggestion, Ostergaard said, would be to even move the recreation department from its current location on Watson Blvd. to there to free up “prime real estate” (which the whole of Watson in the area of the new downtown is deemed). On the land where the two ball fields are next to the current recreation department, UDA has envisioned a new Law Enforcement facility. (Note: The Warner Robins Police Department is actually the stakeholder – driver - behind this. At the last city council meeting Chief Brett
Evans re-presented (for the benefit of the city’s newest council members) its $10,000,000 hope for such a facility.)
Next to the LE facility is envisioned a major conference center and across the street, UDA has incorporated plenty of room for Macon State College to expand. Ditto for Sacred Heart Church.
Where Watson Blvd. meets Highway 247 – across from the base’s main gate – would be office buildings and/or research buildings. “They could have ground floor shops but also be places for employment,” Ostergaard said. “We also propose defining this area by adding trees and consider adding a median so it becomes a beautiful gateway into your downtown.”
At the other end is Commercial Circle. Described as once a jewel, it would return to its glory days. “There is the potential for creating a town square,” Ostergaard said, describing it as having “beautiful brick buildings and beautiful storefronts. It could have shops, maybe a little bandstand,” he said. “A casual area for people to gather and during the day they could come and eat lunch and relax.”
Interspersed in and among all of this are trees, shrubs – lots of greenery – sidewalks, parks and the likes, as well as housing. But not what’s typically seen in this area.
Ostergaard said they have basically accounted for three “neighborhood centers” – half of which are already in place, he added – with a move away from “single-type dwellings” in lieu of apartments and/or condominiums. “You already have an over-abundance of those (the single type) now,” he said. “(However), there is a huge market for potentially young single empty nesters. And they’ll want different kinds of things like walking to a coffee shop or eating in restaurants.”
All in all, the vision was a thing of beauty. But for all it was, it was still a work in progress.
To that end, maps of the proposed model were placed at several locations in the corridor of the Civic Center and those in attendance were asked to once again provide feedback (much like during the green-red-blue dot exercise back in March).
“We need you to tell us if we’re headed in the right direction,” Ostergaard told the 100-plus in attendance Thursday (four of which were councilmen, Clifford Holmes, Tom Simms Jr,, John Havrilla and John Williams), “the direction you want us to go.”
Positive comments this time ranged from: It gives the city a unique identity to liking “all that new green space” to the appreciating the walking/biking networks. Negative, the only one noted written down on the pads provided, was code enforcement would be needed to keep it looking pristine. (There were also several asking to no one in particular: “Who’s going to pay for this?”)
From Thursday, UDA will once take to the drawing board. And from there, Warner Robins Redevelopment Executive Director Gary Lee said it could take about two months before the group returns with the final draft – the “master plan” (Phase III).
From there it’s a matter of it being approved by the Warner Robins City Council, and work can begin.
For Ostergaard and Lee, that can’t happen soon enough.
“We would hope to see something like the new conference center ... that’s one of the things a lot of people have said they would like to see ... begin to take shape in about a month,” Ostergaard said, adding to fully realize the plan could take years.
“The thing is with people,” added Lee, “is we’re still trying to change a mindset.
“With us, we need to keep this on the front burner. So we need to give them something immediately that they can see.
“Once something comes out of the ground, that’s what people will look for (something tangible that they can see). That’s part of the marketing process.”
