City offers Haymarket Plaza public input sessions

Mike Paulus |

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A conceptual illustration for the Haymarket Plaza as part of the Confluence Project. A new effort from the City of Eau Claire, independent of the Confluence Project, aims to gather input on what what a public plaza in this area should be.

In a press release on Thursday, the City of Eau Claire announced plans for two public input sessions (Nov. 6 an 9) on “placemaking” the Haymarket Plaza, aka the parking lot at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers. Before the Confluence Project was proposed, the city had already been talking for years about developing that space into a public plaza of some kind. The idea behind these sessions/workshops is to gather ideas on how that space should be used – whether or not the Confluence Project with its arts center and student housing complex comes to fruition.

The input sessions stem from a partnership with the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (which will facilitate the meetings) and are “100% funded thanks to donations from DECI, North Barstow Medical BID, South Barstow BID, Commonweal Development, Market & Johnson, citizens (through web-based donations hosted by ECRAC), and Visit Eau Claire.”

Check out the press release for more details ...

PRESS RELEASE
West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
City of Eau Claire
10-17-13

Community Inspiration Needed for Haymarket Plaza

... The area commonly known as the “Haymarket” parking lot, approximately 1.5 acres [at the confluence of the Eau Calure and Chippewa Rivers], is a city-owned parcel designated as a future public space. The City of Eau Claire (City) has partnered with West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (WCWRPC) to facilitate placemaking workshops engaging stakeholders and interested community  members to determine the future of this public space. The project is 100% funded thanks to donations from DECI, North Barstow Medical BID, South Barstow BID, Commonweal Development, Market & Johnson, citizens (through web-based donations hosted by ECRAC), and Visit Eau Claire.

Placemaking is about people. It is a community-driven pro cess that turns a neighborhood, downtown, or community from a place you can’t wait to get through to one you never want to leave. To make a great place, placemaking capitalizes on local assets, inspirations, and potential as defined by those who live, work and play in that place. To bring placemaking to west central Wisconsin, WCWRPC has formed a partnership with Project for Public Spaces (PPS). More information on placemaking can be found at www.pps.org. In evaluating thousands of public spaces around the world, PPS has found successful places have four key qualities in common:


• they are accessible and have linkages to other places;
• people use them and are engaged in activities there;
• they are comfortable and have a good image; and,
• they are sociable places where people meet and interact.

During two civic engagement workshops, WCWRPC will lead  participants through discussions and a variety of individual and group exercises to gain a community consensus. Participants will identify what makes Haymarket Plaza unique; discuss how the Plaza fits into the larger fabric of downtown Eau Claire; and guide the future uses, design, and programming of the Plaza. Citizen involvement will focus on the Haymarket Plaza site as a unique and special public place in the context of the entire downtown, and not on the specific uses, plans, and designs of adjacent and nearby properties. As conditions allow, attendees will be visiting the Haymarket Plaza site. Light refreshments will be available.

A final report identifying common themes and goals,  as envisioned by participants, and an action plan with recommendations and potential resources, will be presented to the City later in the year. Residents who are interested in participating in one of the Placemaking the Haymarket Plaza workshops must register by November 1st for one of the following workshop dates at www.wcwrpc.org:

Wednesday, November 6, 2013
4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Plus (Pizza Plus)
208 South Barstow Street, Eau Claire

Saturday, November 9, 2013
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Plus (Pizza Plus)
208 South Barstow Street, Eau Claire

Contacts:
Chris Straight, Senior Planner
West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
715-836-2918
chris@wcwrpc.org

Russell Van Gompel, City Manager
City of Eau Claire
715-839-4902
Russell.VanGompel@eauclairewi.gov