The City of Charleston is launching a new imaginative and creative visioning and planning process that seeks to get unprecedented input from people in Charleston in developing new official plans for the City's future. The City has hired msi|kkg, a Kentucky-based planning and design consulting firm that is partnering with LSL Planning from Oak Park, Michigan and G*I Associates in Charleston, to
lead citizens and community leaders through the visioning process over the next 14 months to produce both a new official Comprehensive Plan for the city, as required by state law, and a new Downtown Redevelopment Plan. The Manahan Group, a Charleston-based public relations and advertising firm, has developed a new logo for the effort and will work on non-traditional means to create public involvement in the process. "This planning process is about creating a vision for our city, our neighborhoods and our downtown, and so it's about a lot more than just meeting state law requirements for urban planning and zoning," said Charleston Mayor Danny Jones. "For anyone who has ever imagined something new and different, something bigger and better, something creative or innovative, this process is designed to explore what might be possible." Msi I kkg has considerable experience in helping communities envision and embrace their future through community consensus building techniques, creative planning and design approaches and "market smart" implementation strategies. "Our team approach is not only about delivering a quality plan but also about delivering an action-oriented implementation strategy," added lead consultant Craig Gossman of msi|kkg. "Community leaders are struggling with the economic challenges facing their cities across this country and, quite frankly, the world. Our team is committed to recognizing the importance of catalytic action as a result of the investment the City of Charleston is making toward this initiative. They deserve a return on their investment." During the next several months, the msi|kkg consulting team will work with city leaders on a public process to get ideas for projects and programs from people throughout Charleston, set some priorities for future development opportunities and create a vision to serve as the City's Comprehensive Plan as well as a Downtown Redevelopment Plan. In past decades, urban planning projects in Charleston have initiated the push for the creation of the downtown village district, Clay Center, Appalachian Power Park, Charleston Town Center Mall, Haddad Riverfront Park, Capitol Market, Mary Price Ratrie Gateway Greenspace, Washington Street streetscape, wayfinding directional signage and much more. While the City of Charleston is primarily responsible for the Imagine Charleston process and product, the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority and Community Development Committee of the Charleston Area Alliance are also providing funding. The City is applying to The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation for support as well. "Imagine Charleston is our community's chance to dream together, create together and work together toward making our city a better place to live, work, play and invest for the next generation," said Mary Jean Davis, who chairs City Council's Planning Committee. "We are reaching out to get ideas and feedback from people throughout Charleston, from the newest residents and young people to the lifelong citizens and activists." "The City's Comprehensive Plan will be used for years to come as the foundation for planning and zoning decisions moving forward, but it also serves as a block-by-block blueprint for future development opportunities," added Charleston Planning Director Dan Vriendt. "As a result of Imagine Charleston and the vision that it produces over the next year, we will be able to take people's dreams and start turning them into realities for our future as a city." "It is not often that an entire community has the chance to think and act creatively for a future they envision," added CURA Executive Director Jim Edwards, who has been involved with urban planning efforts in several other communities before coming to Charleston last year. "This is that opportunity, and I hope residents will take full advantage to express their desires and visions of a better Charleston." "The joining of these two very important planning efforts is another example of how the greater Charleston community collaborates to better position our city for development. The Charleston Area Alliance is a proud partner in the process, and its Community Development Committee stands ready to assist the City with the creation of Imagine Charleston," said Susie Salisbury, vice president of the Charleston Area Alliance. The Imagine Charleston process will include several public meetings for people to share their dreams of what Charleston could become over the next few decades. City leaders, msi|kkg and The Manahan Group are also working on other non-traditional means through which people in Charleston can participate and share ideas and opinions of the creativity that emerges from the initiative. The primary source of information, as Imagine Charleston hits full stride in the next few months, will be the web site: www.ImagineCharleston.com
