[Source: Rick Schneider, Eastern Arizona Courier] -- Safford residents and community leaders worked with professional consultants to chart a course for creating a vibrant and exciting Downtown during an intensive three-day Vision Plan workshop. RBF Consulting of Irvine, Calif., will take the information gathered during this exercise to create a large, colored drawing of what Safford residents want their Downtown to look like. Safford’s assets and opportunities were identified during a community workshop Tuesday. Participants were asked to write down three values, treasures, challenges and visions they had concerning Downtown Safford. Some of the challenges included unsightly buildings and alleyways, not enough retail businesses, absentee landlords, building restoration, lack of a common development theme and a shortage of parking.Treasures listed included the slow pace, a safe environment and friendly businesses. Values noted included friendliness and the ease of walking around Downtown. Visions listed included the need for more parking, a cultural museum, trees, art galleries, updated storefronts and unique retail. After identifying the top three priorities in each category, participants broke into groups and drafted vision statements for Downtown Safford. The group met Wednes-day morning in front of the City Hall and walked around Downtown Safford. Participants were asked to write down observations they had concerning pedestrian issues such as sidewalks, benches, crosswalks and shade, vacant sites or buildings with development opportunities, sites for additional parking and facade conditions. Pictures were taken of things they liked or disliked. On Wednesday evening, participants into broke four groups and did team design exercises on Downtown maps (pictured). The areas worked on included parking and circulation, ease of getting around Downtown and arts, public spaces and Downtown districts. Drawings were made and development solutions to problems were written down.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Rick Schneider]
