Opportunities to participate in Lansing Main Street Vision Plan include community survey, interactive mapping tool, July 25 community meeting
The City of Lansing has partnered with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) to create a community vision for the future of Main Street. The overall goal of the planning and visioning process is to identify needs, desires and concerns that residents, business owners and visitors have for the Main Street/Highway 9 corridor through Lansing. The end product will be a community-derived vision for the corridor that considers things like traffic safety, environmental impacts, historic preservation, lighting, streetscape amenities and more.
“This planning process will help make sure we are prepared to discuss options with the Iowa Department of Transportation when the time comes to redo Highway 9 through town,” said Lansing Mayor Melissa Hammell. “In the meantime, the plan will help us focus our efforts as a community toward finding funding opportunities for Main Street improvements that will make Lansing an even better place to live and visit.”
There will be multiple opportunities for community members to provide feedback as part of this planning process. All those who live in or visit Lansing are invited to participate.
Tuesday, July 25, at 6 p.m., there will be an in-person meeting at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center (1944 Columbus Road) where participants will have a chance to learn more about the planning effort and to give first-hand feedback about Main Street. UERPC’s Aaron Detter will facilitate a discussion with attendees about concerns and issues facing Main Street as it currently is, and their hopes and ideas for what it could be in the future.
An online community survey is now available, as well. Residents and visitors of Lansing are invited to visit tinyurl.com/2jh56ydv, or to scan the QR code labeled “Brief Survey” accompanying this article at right, to give general feedback about Lansing’s Main Street and to share ideas for how to make it better.
There is also a fun and interactive opportunity for community members to provide feedback through an online/mobile mapping tool. The tool allows users to utilize a smart phone, tablet or computer to identify and describe specific points on the map, and to provide feedback about the selected location - whether positive or negative. Users are able to add and describe as many points as they like. One feature of the tool allows users to include photos of the locations that they identify, which may even be featured in the final plan document. The interactive mapping tool can be accessed at tinyurl.com/42hwjycn, or by scanning the QR code labeled “Map Tool” accompanying this article at left.
Posters and other promotional materials will be distributed around Lansing to help spread the word about these feedback opportunities. Anyone who would like more information about the planning effort or would like to request a paper copy of the survey can contact Aaron Detter at adetter@uerpc.com or 563-419-6126.
“Our Main Street is a key part of our identity as a town,” said Lansing City Council member Curtis Snitker. “It’s so important for us to have a clear vision of what we want our Main Street to be. I hope people will take advantage of these opportunities to help shape that vision.”
