City considers downtown corridorBy Christian Alexandersen, Herald-Dispatch, August 02, 2009HUNTINGTON -- City officials are planning to provide a safer, more inviting link between two key components of downtown Huntington -- Pullman Square and Heritage Station.To do that, they are hoping to complete a variety of improvements to the 2 1/2 alleyway between 10th and 11th streets, the alley that runs behind Mac & Dave's store on 3rd Avenue.The city has applied for a $200,000 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act/Stimulus Act to fund much of project. Increased lighting, new sidewalks and curbs, and installation of decorative panels are among the improvements slated for the alley to make it safe and appealing for pedestrian and vehicle traffic.The alley would provide a connection to downtown Huntington's business community from the Cabell-Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau, now located in Heritage Village. Heritage Village is a collection of shops and businesses at the old B&O railroad depot at Veterans Memorial Boulevard and 11th Street.The visitors center is currently isolated from recent developments in the central business district, including retail, entertainment and dining a block away at Pullman Square, according to CVB Executive Director Tyson Compton. He said the corridor will serve as another way the downtown Huntington business community can be opened up to tourists stopping by the visitors bureau, which moved into Heritage Station this year."This is an attempt to bring two really important portions of downtown together," said Charles Holley, the city's director of development and planning.That goal makes a lot of sense, said Bill Dargusch of Metropolitan Partners, a private company that partnered with the Tri-State Transit Authority to develop Pullman Square. Dargusch said he's in favor of a project that connects visitors to Pullman Square and wants to learn more about the city's plans.Holley said Heritage Station was Huntington's Pullman Square of the 1970s. Its central location brought people downtown, but it began to lose patrons when several businesses proved unsuccessful.Years later, Pullman Square opened, and there was a disconnect between Heritage Station and the rest of downtown, Holley said. The pedestrian corridor project is aimed at restoring Heritage Station to a more prominent role.Holley said he's confident the grant will be approved because it follows the guidelines for shovel-ready construction projects, but if it falls through, the city would seek other forms of funding.The alley currently has no sidewalk. Since the alley would remain open to vehicle traffic, Compton said, increasing lighting and constructing sidewalks would be among the major parts of the project.The project calls for ornamental streetlights, fencing, benches and landscaping.According to project renderings, brick columns and ornamental fences will be used along the newly constructed sidewalks. Trees also will line the area between the sidewalks and driving lane.The city also is working with Appalachian Power to improve the look of its sub-station, which is at the northwest corner of 11th Street and 2 1/2 alley. Holley said the plan is to construct a brick and panel fence to screen the sub-station and enhance the new streetscape design.The plan also calls for putting decorative panels inside the fence, Holley said. Themes emphasizing the Ohio River, the railroad and the role of coal in the national energy market could be used to decorate the fences."The alley has the opportunity to become interesting and appealing," Compton said. "The fence panels can depict virtually anything we want."Holley said the city is considering using removable panels so that they can be changed throughout the year. The city also is considering using the removable panels along the ornamental fence that will stretch the entire length of the alley."I really like the idea of changing the panels out every six months or so," Holley said. "There'll always be something new to attract you down to the corridor."Holley said the soonest the project can start is next spring.The pedestrian corridor is part of a larger plan the city has to create a triangle of safe passages between Heritage Station, Pullman Square and Harris Riverfront Park. Holley said building better sidewalks and crosswalks to the riverfront is a short-term goal, but the city has larger plans for the future."We're hoping for an overhead corridor into Harris Riverfront Park," Holley said. "And we're considering putting a (traffic) signal on 10th Street (at Veterans Memorial Boulevard)."
