College Hill plan designers laud progress

The scene along the Mercer Village section of Montpelier Avenue on Monday afternoon. In a presentation Monday, Mercer University President Bill Underwood pointed to the redevelopment of Mercer Village and the larger College Hill Corridor as important aspects of Mercer University?s health.

GRANT BLANKENSHIP/THE TELEGRAPH ? gblankenship@macon.com Buy Photo

There are two ways to look at how the College Hill Association has gone through its master plan.

Josh Rogers, executive director of Historic Macon, noted the difference last week when he spoke to two executives from Interface Studio, the Philadelphia-based company that helped design the plan.

?It was funny,? he said. ?I asked each of them separately, and what was most interesting was how much we (in Macon) belittled our own progress. ... I?m the same way -- I only see the houses that needed fixing.?

The Interface executives, however, had a much different perspective.

?They were just amazed at how much we?ve accomplished,? Rogers said.

Changes brought about by the plan -- the rise of Mercer Village, the Second Sunday concert series and improvements at Tattnall Square Park, among others -- seem almost to be taken for granted these days, even though they came about through the College Hill Corridor Commission?s development of a master plan, with input from Macon residents.

The plan focused on five areas for development: The Basics, which calls for improvements such as better lighting and more of a police presence in the neighborhood; The Vibe, which concentrates on the arts and social events in the corridor; The Connection, which includes infrastructure improvements; The Environment, which promotes green living and projects; and The Look, an effort to attract new residents and businesses to the neighborhood.

Scott Page, the principal partner with Interface who helped design the master plan in 2008, was in Macon last week to evaluate the progress the College Hill Alliance has made in meeting the plan?s goals, as well as to see what tweaks and updates the plan needs.

Page noted that while many cities across the country slowed or even stopped development because of the economic downturn, Macon managed to move forward with many of its plans to improve the corridor area between downtown Macon and Mercer University.

?They?ve accomplished a lot more than we expected,? he said. ?It was a really different approach. They were able to gather a group of volunteers and enabled each of them to do what was in their best interest. ... Sometimes, it takes a few years to get organized, but in this case, it happened immediately.?

The original project got off the ground thanks to two grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. One of them set up the College Hill Alliance to oversee programming and development in the corridor, while the other created the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, which provides funding for anyone who applies for a grant to launch projects in the neighborhood.

?The way Macon looks at revitalization has changed,? said Beverly Blake, director of the Knight Foundation in Georgia. ?Five years ago, people didn?t see any programming. But people are paying attention now. People want to be part of the change. They see the changes, the change in attitude. It?s very different than five years ago.?

Page said the master plan has essentially become a large checklist, and the alliance and its volunteers have been steadily checking items off the list.

Heather Holder, the alliance?s executive director, said College Hill has even seen advancements in areas that weren?t main goals from the master plan.

For example, the plan?s goal of putting in more bike lanes and improved walking conditions have led to people not using their cars as much in the corridor area, which has led many residents into a more active lifestyle. Holder and Alliance Communications Director Jessica Walden said they hope to see a healthier lifestyle take a bigger role when the plan is revised.

?Urban vibrancy can create a healthier lifestyle,? Walden said. ?We?re creating an environment for healthier habits.?

Already, the alliance is trying other health initiatives, such as holding blood drives and helping The Medical Center of Central Georgia promote events in the corridor.

Holder said a focus group made up of Mercer students helped illustrate the progress made in the corridor, since the members of the group arrived in Macon after changes had begun to be implemented. Most of them, she said, haven?t experienced Macon without the improvements already in place.

?Now, students go downtown,? she said. ?Four years ago, students were told to avoid downtown.?

Page said his visit was to survey the partners involved in the project and see what advances have been made. He plans to return later this year to hold public forums to update and revise the master plan.

?The first College Hill plan was there to make sure that Mercer and downtown became connected,? Page said. ?Now that there?s a foundation, people will have the opportunity to give their ideas. How do we build on the success of what we have??

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334.

Source: http://www.macon.com/2013/07/07/2548075/college-hill-plan-designers-laud.html

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