Over the last few months, the City of Maitland held six community forums to obtain input from its residents on the design and programming of the new downtown development. The forums focused on the two-block area between Packwood Avenue and George Street, west of Orlando Avenue. To present the key concepts of the downtown revitalization project, members of the City staff will gave a brief overview of its history, funding and planned traffic flow.
In addition to the overview, the first three forums included a series of stations that highlight various aspects of the proposed project. These stations detailed the history, site location and architectural style of the buildings, park features and activities, and the transportation element of the planned development. Presentation boards contained a variety of graphics and design options to help the residents visualize the possibilities and alternatives for the two-block area. The graphics were intended to spark the citizens' imaginations and help them formulate their design preferences for the project. City staff and consultants were available to record opinions, responses, and suggestions and to answer any questions. Information from the first sessions was then reviewed and incorporated into conceptual plans that were presented back to the community to critique and approve toward the end of the meeting schedule.
The last three forums were designed to focus on the conceptual plans for the Town Square and the architectural elevations for the new City Hall, based on the information gleaned from the first three forums. Through the process of community participation, the stage was set for professional design standards to merge with the residents' needs for their downtown. As a result of these public forums, a functional centerpiece for the revitalization of the downtown corridor was created to accommodate the special needs and desires of the residents of Maitland.
The City of Maitland would like to thank all of its community members who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in these public forums. Your input helped formulate a better design solution for the City's downtown development.
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