Rockford
May 7th, 2005, 03:42 PM
for an intro to Beloit....http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=184670
where is beloit?
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.453125,-89.176984&spn=1.339844,2.602059&hl=en
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/content/articles/2005/04/28/news/news01.jpg
Beloit 2020 shows plan to public
It's all about imagination and vision.
Beloit 2020, an organization of business and civic leaders previously known as Beloit 2000, unveiled for public officials Wednesday evening the group's plan for continuing improvements in the central city. The plan draws on Beloit's successes and seeks to capitalize on undeveloped land and goals yet unrealized.
Elected officials and other public employees from Beloit and South Beloit were given a sneak preview at the Beloit Rotary River Center. While the plan sketches out a vision and goals through preliminary graphics and maps, the details have been left largely blank, with the intent of involving the community and stakeholders in the visioning process.
At the introduction of the presentation, Nick Lelack, a senior planner for the consulting firm Schreiber Anderson Associates, told the gathering their input is important in moving the project forward. Lelack asked everyone to write down notes recalling past memories of Beloit and hopes for the future.
Lelack reminded those in attendance that at this early stage Beloit 2020 organizers want community members to first envision their city in the year 2020 and then construct their plan backward from that vision.
"To see where you have come from in the last 15 years should give you the wherewithal to make plans for the next 15 years," Lelack said.
Not until the vision has been firmly established will organizers begin to formulate a master plan or make any projections on costs.
Beloit 2020 collaborated with Schreiber Anderson on the RiverFront Project Concept Plan and is emboldened to take on another significant project.
Defined geographically by Sixth Street to the west, Henry Avenue to the north, Park Avenue to the east and Gardner Street in South Beloit, Lelack said organizers also see the city center for its potential as "a crossroads of the marketplace, ideas, culture and the exceptional."
The marketplace, he explained, takes into account the needs of the community and current trends that are drawing people nationwide back toward city centers and water views. A place-based economy builds on its resources and existing assets like the Rock River and Turtle and Lenigan creeks.
Lelack said the Beloit plan acknowledges statistics that indicate people, particularly young people, are seeking connection and recreation at the heart of their cities.
"The city center is a destination. It is not a collection of destinations. It is one great place in and of itself," he said.
The plan's framework focuses on the river, commitment to animation and renewal of the city center, an attempt to make connections with the community and the intent to build a positive identity.
As it sounds, animation, according to Lelack, means engaging residents through entertainment art and other recreation.
Renewal involves revitalizing depressed areas or buildings and diversifying housing options and the economy.
Key to creating a sense of connectedness, he said, would be strategically designed infrastructure that allows people easy access to all parts of the city center. Laying out the space would require a creative juxtaposition of open areas to walkable and compact spaces of bustling city activity.
A completed city center would involve the interests of several stakeholders already poised to begin their own projects in various areas of the city, such as the city's River Bend residential site, the Beloit Mall and Beloit College's plan to integrate its campus into the community.
Lelack said Beloit 2020 has worked and will continue to work with those parties in unifying their goals.
"There are a lot of plans on the table right now. In five to 10 years, Beloit could be a completely different place," he said.
In order to manage the extensive city center development, the organizers divided the city center into seven proposed districts (see accompanying map), though the names of the districts and development details have not been finalized, awaiting input from stakeholders.
The Grand Parkway District would follow the bank of the river as sort of a central parkway or boulevard, linking the neighborhoods to the parks and natural areas.
The Shore District, north of Beloit Memorial High School on the west side of the river, would focus activity on Maple Avenue with bike and pedestrian walkways and possible riverfront housing.
Plans for the Eclipse District include expansion of urban living options and growth of business activity. The Eclipse District contains the Beloit Mall and suggestions for the space include redeveloping it for mixed-use purposes.
The College Park District plan would fit in with Beloit College's own plans to improve connections to the city. In addition to building a new science center, the college is also working to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly and open to the outside.
With visions of entertainment, shopping, dining and arts, the Grand Avenue District would be considered the animation focal point. The district is seen as the core of activity because the river passes through it and all roads lead to Grand Avenue. It would be a main site for river access.
The Turtle Creek District is a slender space below the Grand Avenue District, seen as a good place for mixed-use buildings with convenient access to shopping and dining.
Renewal efforts would focus on the Blackhawk Business District near Gardner Street in South Beloit. Attention would be paid the intersection of Gardner Street and Blackhawk Boulevard with the intent of turning it into a business district for South Beloit.
The Iron Works District situated to the west of the river could have retail shopping and be key in enhancing employment in the city center. It would also be an artistic public gathering place.
Beloit Memorial High School would be a district on its own, with the city giving it much attention as a fundamental asset to the community. Plans for this district include a walkable campus and high quality activity spaces.
where is beloit?
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.453125,-89.176984&spn=1.339844,2.602059&hl=en
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/content/articles/2005/04/28/news/news01.jpg
Beloit 2020 shows plan to public
It's all about imagination and vision.
Beloit 2020, an organization of business and civic leaders previously known as Beloit 2000, unveiled for public officials Wednesday evening the group's plan for continuing improvements in the central city. The plan draws on Beloit's successes and seeks to capitalize on undeveloped land and goals yet unrealized.
Elected officials and other public employees from Beloit and South Beloit were given a sneak preview at the Beloit Rotary River Center. While the plan sketches out a vision and goals through preliminary graphics and maps, the details have been left largely blank, with the intent of involving the community and stakeholders in the visioning process.
At the introduction of the presentation, Nick Lelack, a senior planner for the consulting firm Schreiber Anderson Associates, told the gathering their input is important in moving the project forward. Lelack asked everyone to write down notes recalling past memories of Beloit and hopes for the future.
Lelack reminded those in attendance that at this early stage Beloit 2020 organizers want community members to first envision their city in the year 2020 and then construct their plan backward from that vision.
"To see where you have come from in the last 15 years should give you the wherewithal to make plans for the next 15 years," Lelack said.
Not until the vision has been firmly established will organizers begin to formulate a master plan or make any projections on costs.
Beloit 2020 collaborated with Schreiber Anderson on the RiverFront Project Concept Plan and is emboldened to take on another significant project.
Defined geographically by Sixth Street to the west, Henry Avenue to the north, Park Avenue to the east and Gardner Street in South Beloit, Lelack said organizers also see the city center for its potential as "a crossroads of the marketplace, ideas, culture and the exceptional."
The marketplace, he explained, takes into account the needs of the community and current trends that are drawing people nationwide back toward city centers and water views. A place-based economy builds on its resources and existing assets like the Rock River and Turtle and Lenigan creeks.
Lelack said the Beloit plan acknowledges statistics that indicate people, particularly young people, are seeking connection and recreation at the heart of their cities.
"The city center is a destination. It is not a collection of destinations. It is one great place in and of itself," he said.
The plan's framework focuses on the river, commitment to animation and renewal of the city center, an attempt to make connections with the community and the intent to build a positive identity.
As it sounds, animation, according to Lelack, means engaging residents through entertainment art and other recreation.
Renewal involves revitalizing depressed areas or buildings and diversifying housing options and the economy.
Key to creating a sense of connectedness, he said, would be strategically designed infrastructure that allows people easy access to all parts of the city center. Laying out the space would require a creative juxtaposition of open areas to walkable and compact spaces of bustling city activity.
A completed city center would involve the interests of several stakeholders already poised to begin their own projects in various areas of the city, such as the city's River Bend residential site, the Beloit Mall and Beloit College's plan to integrate its campus into the community.
Lelack said Beloit 2020 has worked and will continue to work with those parties in unifying their goals.
"There are a lot of plans on the table right now. In five to 10 years, Beloit could be a completely different place," he said.
In order to manage the extensive city center development, the organizers divided the city center into seven proposed districts (see accompanying map), though the names of the districts and development details have not been finalized, awaiting input from stakeholders.
The Grand Parkway District would follow the bank of the river as sort of a central parkway or boulevard, linking the neighborhoods to the parks and natural areas.
The Shore District, north of Beloit Memorial High School on the west side of the river, would focus activity on Maple Avenue with bike and pedestrian walkways and possible riverfront housing.
Plans for the Eclipse District include expansion of urban living options and growth of business activity. The Eclipse District contains the Beloit Mall and suggestions for the space include redeveloping it for mixed-use purposes.
The College Park District plan would fit in with Beloit College's own plans to improve connections to the city. In addition to building a new science center, the college is also working to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly and open to the outside.
With visions of entertainment, shopping, dining and arts, the Grand Avenue District would be considered the animation focal point. The district is seen as the core of activity because the river passes through it and all roads lead to Grand Avenue. It would be a main site for river access.
The Turtle Creek District is a slender space below the Grand Avenue District, seen as a good place for mixed-use buildings with convenient access to shopping and dining.
Renewal efforts would focus on the Blackhawk Business District near Gardner Street in South Beloit. Attention would be paid the intersection of Gardner Street and Blackhawk Boulevard with the intent of turning it into a business district for South Beloit.
The Iron Works District situated to the west of the river could have retail shopping and be key in enhancing employment in the city center. It would also be an artistic public gathering place.
Beloit Memorial High School would be a district on its own, with the city giving it much attention as a fundamental asset to the community. Plans for this district include a walkable campus and high quality activity spaces.