CARTHAGE, Mo. —
The reaction was largely positive Thursday night to a proposed development plan that would emphasize Carthage’s past and its place on Route 66.
A group of Drury University students unveiled the plan to a gathering of more than 50 residents at Carthage Memorial Hall. A more refined proposal, based on residents’ input Thursday, will be presented in a final meeting next month.
“We’ll take the comments tonight to improve on the vision; the final presentation will be much more developed,” said George Mandrik, one of six students from the Springfield school working on the Carthage proposal.
The plan was unveiled in a video presentation and in a series drawings depicting a future downtown Carthage, developed by students from the university’s Center for Community Studies at Hammons School of Architecture.
The charge for the students, working with a local committee and under a contract with the city of Carthage, was to ignore the costs and political callings and develop ideas for a renewed downtown Carthage and what it might look like in 15 to 20 years.
Recommendations for the downtown area included eliminating parking around the square and replacing it with a multilevel parking structure to the south that would be connected to the square by a walkway. The additional space would allow wider sidewalks in front of buildings around the square to accommodate more pedestrians and patios in front of businesses.
A unified design plan that would restore and preserve historic downtown buildings also was recommended, along with walking and biking trails that would feed into downtown.
“People want to see more going on around the square, and that could come by making it more pedestrian-friendly,” Mandrik said.
Proposals from the students reached beyond the downtown area to south of Central Park and to Kellogg Lake. The plan also suggested a roundabout at Central and Garrison avenues with a streetscape, restoration of the historic Boots Motel and Drive-in, and construction of a Route 66 museum.
More retail development nearby, additional downtown housing, and an art gallery and cultural center also were a part of the proposal.
“I like it; I can see the potential,” Mayor Mike Harris said after the presentation.
Tom Short, city administrator, said he liked the idea of a roundabout at Central and Garrison, and of steps to emphasize Carthage’s place on Route 66.
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Carthage development plan focuses on history, Route 66
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