Planning for a Vision

When improvements along Ingersoll were in the planning stages, steps were taken to coordinate work with the city’s plan to replace sewer pipes. Other practical considerations were to delay curb extensions at intersections, which could be added later if money becomes available, and not to bury utility lines, which would cost $300,000 per block.. These were some of the details provided at the August 13, 2007, North of Grand (NOG) neighborhood meeting. The information helped to provide context for the vision of a new streetscape now being developed for the Roosevelt Cultural District.

 

Rob McCullough, managing director of The Des Moines Playhouse and acting chair of the Roosevelt Cultural District Vision Committee, gave the presentation. It was the first of several meetings with neighborhood groups in the areas surrounding the cultural district. Although the discussion was about one small area, it demonstrated that each block is important to the overall condition of the city.

At the center of the vision, which is still in a very preliminary stage, are changes to the flow of traffic on 42nd Street from the bridge over I-235 to Crocker Street.. By creating a center turn lane that could be used by traffic heading both north and south, the street could be reduced to three lanes. This would allow the fourth lane to be used for sidewalks and planters. In addition, by removing one lane, traffic should flow better as there would no longer be delays where the lanes merge. Traffic lights, reconfiguration of additional streets, and pedestrian crosswalks are also being considered. Public art is the other major part of the vision.

The cultural district is made up of unrelated land uses. There are two schools (Hubbell Elementary and Roosevelt High), a theater (the Playhouse), and a collection of small stores, eateries, art galleries, and service stations. This led me to ask about benches. At first I was wondering if benches should be added to the vision since the separate land uses do not seem to serve the same customers at the same time. As other people at the meeting shared ideas, I realized benches would be useful. The cultural district, at one of the few bridges giving north-south access over I-235, is a pedestrian walking zone. Benches would offer pedestrians a place to stop and rest on their way to and from the shopping district at University and 42nd or to the observatory in Waveland Park or to concerts and sporting events at the high school. Another meeting attendee opined that the proposed planters should have the same type of plants to help create a sense of unity throughout the district.

McCullough and attendees talked about areas outside of the cultural district, too. Plans being made by the schools, dreams held by nearby residents, and other capital improvements considered by the city could complicate or enhance the district’s streetscape changes.

Guest Writer: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.