The Shape Ypsilanti master plan process is moving through its next phase and will hold a series of community focus groups to continue to guide the city planners toward a shared vision for the city.
"Now that we have all of this information and both policy and land use recommendations, we want to come back and prioritize them," said City Planner Teresa Gillotti. "With that in mind, we need to be looking at what we need to do. We want to hear what the community wants."
Discussions about Water Street continue to evolve throughout the master plan process. Officials have talked about extending River Street through the property to Depot Town and creating a dedicated public space for events.
Courtesy Shape Ypsilanti
Gillotti said, just as in the previous Shape Ypsilanti events, the community will play a vital part in the focus groups.
"When you’re talking about the next 10 to 20 years, it's not something you want to be done in a vacuum," Gillotti said. "Shape Ypsilanti is supposed to be the community's plan for the future. However you're engaged in Ypsilanti, we're trying to hear from as many folks as possible. The more people we hear from, the stronger it will be."
Several community members have been involved in the Shape Ypsilanti process so far, which has included discovery and design charrettes that laid out the things residents, business owners and Eastern Michigan University students envision for the city's future.
Ideas that have come up so far have involved all areas of the city, including the vision for the Water Street property that has sat vacant for a long while.
The focus groups are designed to laser in on and prioritize what's important. Residents and city planners will be looking at about 50 proposed efforts to be implemented throughout the next 10 to 20 years. Participants will provide input on the time frame for implementation. There will be three groups next week at the following times:
- June 10, 2013 - 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hope Clinic at 518 Harriet St.
- June 11, 2013 - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Senior Center at 1015 N. Congress
- June 15, 2013 - 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at 496 S Hamilton St.
Each focus group will feature a different population group, Gillotti said, to be all inclusive.
"You have students and seniors and all different population groups and everyone has their own idea as to what Ypsilanti means to them," she said. "We want it to be as comprehensive as possible."
After the focus groups, Gillotti said the next step is to adopt the master plan this summer and start-in on zoning ordinances.
"The master plan is a big vision and when you get to the form-based portion, it's going to be a lot more specific," she said. "People will be able to say, what does this mean for my house? We'll be looking to get a lot of feedback."
The city council would approve the master plan, once the draft is complete, Gillotti said.
Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.