Winder’s and Auburn’s local governments hosted simultaneous meetings one night last week to get public input about proposed improvements to their downtowns.
Winder’s meeting, which drew a crowd of 30 or more, was about a planned streetscape project along a section of North Broad Street from the CSX railroad tracks to Stephens Street.
Auburn’s meeting, which attracted a smaller audience, was about a plan that will guide city officials on the implementation of projects in the pipeline.
WINDER
Questions raised by the public during the Winder session were about the streetscape improvement’s impact on available parking, as well as the loss of a few left-turn lanes.
The plans call for the elimination of left turns onto West Candler Street and West Midland Avenue, as well as the left turn lane onto East Midland.
Consultant Sam Serio of Keck & Wood said motorists would just have to learn to make their left turns earlier on Broad Street and then use parallel roads off the main highway to get to their destinations.
He said some of the parking spaces would be removed because they already are located within crosswalks or are too close to intersections.
Others would be casualties of design features of the streetscape improvements.
In consultation with Winder planning director Barry Edgar, some spaces were added back to a couple of locations after members of the Winder Downtown Development Authority complained.
The revised plans show “pull in, pull out” spaces in front of Loco’s Pub & Grill, for example.
The city council plans to discuss the streetscape project at the March 9 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.
However, funding for the project, because of the required regulatory approvals, is a couple of years away.
AUBURN
Auburn’s meeting attracted a small number of people with no direct ties to the city government.
However, the participants were enthusiastic as they participated in a visual preference survey, marking the styles of architecture they would like to see as Auburn further develops.
Their strong preference was for traditional design with elements to create in the city a distinctive sense of place.
