The Marquette Downtown Development Authority (MDDA) has announced the completion of the City of Marquette Downtown Plan, which was formally adopted by the MDDA Board of Directors.
For nearly a year, the MDDA has partnered with a consulting team from SmithGroup, Mission North LLC, and Nelson Nygaard to develop the comprehensive strategic plan. According to Rebecca Finco, MDDA Executive Director, “The purpose of the plan is to provide a unified vision and guidance for the future growth and development of Downtown Marquette. It will serve as the decision-making framework for the Marquette DDA moving forward.”
With a strategic planning focus, the plan introduces various improvements to the physical realm including streetscape modifications, adaptive reuse of existing public spaces and facilities, strengthening connectivity to the lakeshore, and enhancing cohesion between the core downtown and Third Street Corridor.
Additionally, it addresses parking and transit challenges, with an emphasis on parking management strategies and expansion of the existing public transportation and bike network systems. The plan further underscores its recommendations by identifying municipal policy and economic development strategies to adopt forward-focused thinking about the future of Downtown Marquette and concludes with a thorough action plan for implementation and opportunities for collaboration.
Community engagement was paramount throughout the planning process, which involved a series of data collection, stakeholder focus groups, analysis, draft feedback and further engagement, and a final presentation. Stakeholder participants included the MDDA Board of Directors and staff; Marquette City Commission, Planning Commission, and City staff; downtown business and property owners; and many valuable community partners.
“As we complete the plan’s development, the Marquette DDA would like to thank everyone whose participation contributed to this important initiative. With excitement, we look forward to implementing the City of Marquette Downtown Plan and bringing these strategic recommendations to fruition,” said Finco.
Financial support for this plan was provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program and the Marquette Downtown Development Authority.
The City of Marquette Downtown Plan is available in its entirety at https://www.downtownmarquette.org/downtown-plan-2020.
Comments