Open houses give public chance to comment on Ohio River strategy
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Three open houses this week in the Evansville region will allow the public to learn about and comment on the Ohio River Vision and Strategic Plan, which is meant to guide development and strategy in downtown Evansville and along the river in Newburgh and Mount Vernon.
The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, Downtown Evansville Economic Improvement District and Boston-based Sasaki—the prime consultant on the project—are hosting the events, which are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Those who can’t attend the open houses can share their thoughts in an online survey over the next two weeks.
Sasaki was selected in May following requests for proposals led by E-REP and EID. A $1 million READI award from the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative will help fund the project.
“Reflecting the critical importance of quality of place to attract and retain talent and drive economic growth, the Evansville Region will enhance the region’s riverfront ‘Front Porch’ gathering spaces through this work with Sasaki,” Tara Barney, CEO of E-REP, said in a Sasaki press release.
The design firm is no stranger to developing waterfronts in the Midwest. Other projects by Sasaki include Chicago’s riverwalk and Cincinnati’s riverfront park. The company’s expertise lies in designing flood-resilient parks and plans to bring investment and new life to downtown areas.
“For decades, American cities have turned their backs to the rivers that originally defined them. The Ohio River Vision and Strategic Plan refocuses on the river to create a stronger connection between downtown Evansville and surrounding towns,” Anna Cawrse, principal landscape architect at Sasaki, said in a press release.
The strategic plan focuses on the riverfronts in downtown Evansville, Newburgh, downtown Mount Vernon and several other smaller sites. Preliminary ideas include developing new riverfront parks and public spaces, connecting people from downtown Evansville to the riverfront through traffic planning, identifying catalyst sites from Mount Vernon to the Newburgh Lock and Dam and analyzing key sites for development potential.
Among the sites mentioned in the planning process are Burdette Park, the Evansville water treatment facility site, the planned I-69 bridge, Angel Mounds launch and Newburgh Lock and Dam.
The project’s schedule includes seven tasks within nine months. Discovery and goal setting began in May, while regional-level planning and design started in July. In August and September, downtown Evansville and riverfront planning and design, I-69 bridge development impact analysis and funding alignment will get underway. Implementation scenarios will launch in November with the action plan expected to be completed by February.
“Connections between downtown Evansville and the region are critical to the success of all of southwest Indiana. We’re excited to be guiding this planning process which will leverage our most underutilized asset, the Ohio River, and inspire private and public investments which grow our region,” said Josh Armstrong, EID president, told Sasaki in a press release.
This week’s open houses are part of the regional-level planning and design task. Here are the times, dates and locations:
- July 13, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., The Landing, 111 E. Water St., Mt. Vernon
- July 13, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Honey Moon Coffee, 20 W. Water St., Newburgh
- July 14, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Pagoda, Evansville
Other in-person events include a community workshop planned for November and a master plan celebration in February.
Instead of attending an open house, the public may weigh in on the project through an online survey that closes at 6 p.m. on July 21. Additional information about the vision, team and process can be found on the ORVSP website.