Gretna Downtown Revitalization Project Open House

The City of Gretna, Nebraska, wants to hear from residents about proposed improvements to the City’s downtown business district and the estimated costs and funding options for these improvements.

The City will debut its preferred concept plan for the Gretna Downtown Revitalization Project at an open house from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at Turtle Doves, located at 706 Angus Road in Gretna.

Downtown Revitilization Flyer_meeting_#2

The City is hosting the open house with JEO Consulting, which is developing a design for the street and sidewalk areas looking at things like downtown attractions, pedestrian improvements, green infrastructure, lighting, active sidewalks and streetscape amenities.

Gretna’s project serves as the pilot for the Main Street toolkit for determining a preferred development concept.  Project consultant and Heartland 2050 Consultant Steve Jensen adapted the toolkit for Gretna’s use.

“It’s a prototype of guidelines which can go into the city code,” said Jensen.  The guiding principles provide standards for neighborhoods and guidelines for city developers.  “It is a form-based code tailored to Midwestern cities. It helps keep costs down and is easy to replicate,” said Jensen.

These are aspects that can be helpful to smaller communities with limited funding to spend on a downtown redevelopment plan.