Consultant hired for $100K to start
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – The city of Slidell is moving forward with a nationally recognized consulting firm to create an Olde Towne Master Plan, Mayor Greg Cromer confirmed.
Cromer received support from the Slidell City Council at the most recent meeting to utilize $100,000 in city funds to pay for the plan, which is being created by The Walker Collaborative, headed by consultant Phil Walker.
The first step in the potential Master Plan for the city occurred several weeks ago when Walker held a public meeting at the Municipal Auditorium, opening the forum up to the public for their thoughts on what was needed in Olde Towne. Nearly 100 residents, public officials and business owners attended the meeting.
Walker also spent two days here touring Olde Towne and meeting with business owners, leading to the proposal he sent to the city recently. Cromer decided to move forward with the initial project that will include a comprehensive analysis by the Walker team, and ending with a detailed Master Plan for Olde Towne.
After the time it takes to finalize all the local meetings to gather information and listen to public input, the presentation of the Master Plan could occur sometime in the first quarter of 2023.
For the work the Walker Collaborative has been hired to take on to create the Master Plan, Slidell will pay $69,400 for the base scope costs, then pay $4,000 for a public survey through SurveyMonkey, an online company. They will also pay between $10,000 to $15,000 for a market analysis of the Olde Towne area that will project future demand for property, both residential and commercial, and give them a marketing tool for business recruitment efforts. There is also a $6,160 cost for expenses the Walker team will incur visiting here on three different trips.
“After seeing what Mr. Walker provided I believe we should go forward with this,” Cromer said. “If our goal is to make Slidell the best it can be, this plan will provide a guide for Olde Towne that could be incredible for our city. We’re very excited about this.”
The main focus of the project will be the city’s designated Main Street District, which generally is described as having the borders of Front Street on the west, Maine Street on the north, Second or Third Street on the east, and Robert Street on the south.
The first two-day trip by the Consultant Team will include a kick-off meeting with city officials and Project Steering Committee members, with a projected timetable of 60 to 90 days away. Before that occurs, Cromer has to select a Steering Committee with input from various sources, sign the contract with the Walker group, and secure the availability of consultant team members. Then a kickoff meeting schedule can be set.
The final Master Plan will include base map data, aerial photos, zoning and development regulations, historic district design guidelines, an overall comprehensive plan for the future, transportation studies, demographic and economic data, and other relevant plans and studies.
There will be a physical condition assessment to determine what buildings are there, and the potential for development, while also looking at streets and parking, existing or potential public spaces, pedestrian possibilities, new development and streetscape improvements.
Existing land and building use will be reviewed to see what potential there is, and key stakeholders will be brought into all the discussions for their input.
“Each meeting should include up to 10 individuals having a common interest in Olde Towne,” Walker said in the proposal. It will include property owners, real estate professionals, designers, business owners, residents and public officials.
The first meeting will be open to the public when the Consultant Team will be introduced to the attendees, providing an overview of the project and soliciting input.
Later in the work, Walker said he will host a “charrette,” an intensive five-day meeting with a wide range of interested stakeholders. The attendees will be broken down into smaller groups to bring in ideas and suggestions for various aspects of the Master Plan, with the Consultant Team providing aerial photos of each Olde Towne region, and guidance for creating the concept plans.
On the fifth day of the charrette, the overall concept plan will be presented to the public. A final Master Plan will then be created by the Walker team and brought back to Slidell by early next year for presentation.
Recommendations will include branding and marketing suggestions, the market analysis for what Olde Towne currently possesses and what they might achieve in the future, and recommendations for the overall existing Main Street program.
Cromer had previously said that the use of the Master Plan relies on what proposals are made, what things are financially feasible, and what support the plan has from the public.
The mayor stated that the accessibility to state or federal grants for Olde Towne relies heavily on having a Master Plan so the agencies who provide that money can see there is a clear path to improvement. He believes the Master Plan will greatly enhance Slidell’s ability to get those grants.