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SPOTL I GHT : STREETS I DE PLAZA

Enhance Parks Infrastructure and Programming

In addition to Main Street, there are a number of streets in downtown and its vicinity that provide critical linkages, both through the downtown, and to it from surrounding neighborhoods. These include Progress Street, Draper Road, and Otey Street, among others. Each of these streets offers opportunities to enhance the public realm and serve a wider variety of users and transportation modes. Through improved streetscaping, these streets can better serve pedestrians and bicyclists – while still accommodating cars – and thereby encourage active transportation into downtown. Some of these streets have the potential to become part of a town-wide bicycle network, expanding streetside space to accommodate protected bicycle travel or a combination of bicycle and pedestrian activity. The town could also examine places where on-street parking could be converted to bike lanes. As part of Blacksburg’s capital improvements programming, the town should incorporate design standards that balance multiple modes of transportation and consider these key corridors as an important part of downtown’s public realm. This includes coordinated material selection for walkways/bikeways, landscaping, integrated stormwater management design, and wayfinding signage to tie the transportation network together as an attractive, convenient, and useable system for all of Blacksburg’s residents. Implement Streetscaping Plans on Key Streets

In addition to creating new gathering spaces, the town should enhance its existing Downtown parks: Wong Park and Marcia’s Park. Neither park has the high visibility of the recommended streetside plaza; however, their locations provide a respite from the hustle of Main Street. As such, they should be celebrated and made into desirable destinations. Each park has the potential to serve different community segments, as recognized in the town’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Marcia’s Park is smaller and closer to Main Street and Virginia Tech, and is already a popular lunch spot. Adding more tables and seating can support this use. Additionally, the park’s location at the entrance to the Huckleberry Trail could be highlighted with elements such as signage and facilities for cyclists. Wong Park is larger, farther from Main Street, and embedded in a residential neighborhood, making it well-suited to serve families and host community events. Considerations might include an expansion of the existing playground and picnic tables, as well as the construction of a larger space to host outdoor community events. Redevelopment of Wong Park could also include an enhanced pedestrian entrance via Faculty Street, improving the park’s visibility and accessibility from Main Street.

A civic, streetside plaza provides a central gathering space for a community, and serves as a complement to smaller spaces and parks, each with their own character. These larger civic spaces can be programmed with a variety of activities for a range of audiences and seasons. Blacksburg’s intersection of College and Main serves as the physical and social heart of Downtown, and offers the best opportunity to create this type of signature gathering space for Blacksburg.

STRATEGY 4 OBJECT I VES

 Improve connections to existing parks  Enhance programming and infrastructure in parks  Increase Downtown vibrancy via public spaces, public art, spaces for cultural expression, and streetscaping

Chapter 2 - Analysis: A Framework for Downtown

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