(rshsdepot) Burlington, IA

["Bernie Wagenblast" <brwagenblast_@_home.com>]

Vision for 'new' downtown to be unveiled

By James Quirk Jr.
The Hawk Eye

.  Public will get its first look at RDG's plan at Monday meeting.

Relocating the old Union Depot, constructing a new library, recreating a
replica of Iowa's Territorial Capitol and routing South Main Street traffic
under the railroad tracks are just some of the ideas included in the
Omaha-based Renaissance Design Group's plan for downtown Burlington.

The group plans to unveil its concept -- wrought from projects proposed by
committee members of the Burlington Area Convention and Tourism Bureau and
the Downtown Advisory Committee -- at Monday's City Council meeting.

Mayor Tim Scott and Burlington/West Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce
President Mike Brouwer, in Friday interviews, said many people have been
involved in getting the proposed downtown plan to this juncture.

Scott stressed the plans are only proposals and could change.

One section of the proposed plan includes the "depot node," which involves
an area bounded by Third, Maple, Division and Main streets. It would include
a 42,000-square-foot library, an interpretation center and Territorial
Capitol, and revamping the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad depot.

The depot node also suggests relocating the old, clapboard Union Depot from
Fourth and Elm streets to the east side of Main and Division streets.

The plan to construct a replica of the Territorial Capitol has been in the
works for the past 15 years, Brouwer said, and he wants to see it built for
educational reasons.

The chamber president said 97 seniors who volunteer time at the Port of
Burlington Welcome Center said they would donate their time to staff the
capitol.

Brouwer said initially, the interpretation center, which would include a
120-seat auditorium, was to be a separate structure. Now, thoughts are to
make it part of the proposed library.

The territorial capitol, renovated depot and the interpretation center have
been Convention and Tourism Bureau's projects for some time, Brouwer said.

The library was added by RDG. Des Moines-based Enterprise MidAmerica
determined in an April study that it would cost just more than $5 million to
rebuild the capitol, move the depot, transform railroad cars near the BNSF
depot into car diners and refurbish the BNSF depot.

In RDG's plan, a vehicular underpass is proposed for Main Street from
Division to Elm Street, Scott said.

City Development Director John Mercer, a member of the Downtown Planning
Committee, made the recommendation for the underpass, and "RDG fell in love
with the idea," Scott said.

Scott said one southbound lane and one northbound lane would tunnel under
the tracks, while there will be two other lanes at grade.

"You go to Washington, D.C., there are underpasses everywhere," Scott said.
"You go to Canada, they don't have overpasses."

The respective grades leading under the railroad tracks would begin at
Valley and Maple streets, Scott said.

The only time the underpass could not be used would be during adverse
weather conditions or "because of extremely high water from the Mississippi
River," he said.

The plan calls for a pedestrian overpass to connect the depot node with the
riverfront.

Scott and Brouwer said those walking or biking on the overpass would have
views of the Mississippi River, the oldest operating railroad bridge in the
state and the Great River Bridge.

"From the standpoint of tourists, bicyclists and walkers, it's a pathway,"
Scott said. "It's how you get from Front to Main Street. It's how you get
from the depot to the riverfront. It's how you get from the depot to
Memorial Auditorium."

The RDG plan calls for the demolition of an old warehouse at the
southernmost point of Front Street to create additional parking.

Scott said another plan includes building a parking ramp on the south side
of Memorial Auditorium.

A new ramp also would provide easier access to the building, Scott said.

Memorial Auditorium would be remodeled in the plan. The present seating
configuration has been there since the 1950s and needs to be replaced,
according to the plan, which also recommends a deeper stage.

RDG is in "absolute awe in the amount of use the auditorium gets," Scott
said.

"Nobody else in the region comes close to the amount of use we get out of
ours," he said.

RDG originally pictured a hotel between the auditorium and Port of
Burlington building.

However, the Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee agreed such a structure
would not be feasible that close to the riverfront.

The revised plan calls for constructing the hotel atop a proposed parking
ramp that would be built where the U.S. Post Office stands today, Scott
said.

"The hotel would also include a convention and conference center facility
with the ability to have break-out sessions," Scott said.

He added the hotel/parking ramp concept -- like everything else in RDG's
plan -- are all "just proposals."

"Nothing in the plan is set in stone," he said.

Another aspect of the proposed plan calls for leveling the block between
Valley, Jefferson, Sixth and Fifth streets next to Nancy Neafie Park to make
way for a performing arts building.

On the north side of Jefferson Street across from the proposed performing
arts center, the plan recommends razing the former J.C. Penny building and
constructing an outdoor stage and seating area in its place.

RDG suggests city developers should be transforming some of the downtown's
upper stories into about 30 residential units annually.

The plan contends that focus initially should be focused on upper-story
development on Jefferson Street, Scott said.

RDG also proposes that an empty 3.5-acre lot at Sixth and Division streets
be developed for 17 single family, owner-occupied homes.

The Gandolf Group, a Minneapolis developer, wanted to use the site to
develop a 48-unit low- to moderate-income housing facility.

That plan has since been scratched, and Scott agreed that single-family
homes would be a better use of the site.

Scott and RDG principal Marty Shukert plan to discuss the proposals in
detail during Monday's meeting. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.

"What we're going to do is present the plan as we developed it to date,"
Shukert said. "If I could put an overall theme on the plan, it's how to make
the experience of downtown Burlington better."

Shukert said the plan, "is directed at identifying the 'pressure points' "
in the downtown area.

Shukert said RDG believes that developing those pressure points will cause a
positive chain reaction to the adjoining areas.

"One of the priorities of downtown planning is trying to find out where the
seeds are," Shukert said. "If you plant the seeds in the right place, the
plant will grow bigger."

Shukert said he intends a "pretty elaborate presentation."

"We plan to have hand-out materials, drawings ... a variety of things for
people to look at," he said. "It's really conceptual ... literally a
blueprint. It will be a pretty impressive presentation, I think."

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