When the City of Plant City partnered with Main Street Plant City to craft a vision of the future for downtown, it already had a general idea of what changes it hoped to see come to life.
Though the general “whats” have become practically common knowledge downtown, the minor changes needed to make true revitalization a reality were unclear. That’s where Community Design Solutions, a consultant group based out of South Carolina, comes in. The group was hired to create a downtown vision plan that would create simple steps that if taken could directly lead to change in the community.
Based on the areas they highlighted, City Manager Bill McDaniel developed a six-part plan to immediately start moving to give downtown a makeover. City commissioners approved his plan on Dec. 9. Two of the changes recommended for downtown were focused solely on projects along Evers Street.
“I like the idea of creating that streetscape with lighting above it,” McDaniel said. “Additions like that to our community are very complimentary of some of the historic buildings we have down here. It gives it ambiance, it gives it character.”
Color, vibrancy and lighting were some of the key things CDS said they not only saw a need for, but heard time and again from the public as a complaint about the current downtown. Improving and further highlighting the aesthetics of downtown is the first step in ensuring it acts like a beacon to those passing through.
String lights are popping up all over the world in historic communities and tends to draw people toward the area as it signifies there is something worth exploring under their soft glow. The consultant also spent a lot of time discussing the brick found throughout historic downtown. There are brick buildings and brick streets and its something Tripp Muldrow, the presenter with CDS, said should be played up. In fact, CDS went so far as to suggest the city consider adding more brick streets downtown in replacement of the asphalt that zig-zags with the old red brick already in place.
The group also spent a moment discussing the alley on Evers Street next to the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center. For years it has remained relatively empty. Cars use it to access the Snellgrove’s drive-up window and to pull into the parking lot behind the building that residents use to leave their cars overnight. A dumpster for the local businesses is housed in the alley as well.
CDS showed before and after examples of a project they worked on in Gulfport, MS. A stereotypical alley complete with garbage cans and stairways to apartments above was transformed into Fishbone Alley. An archway was erected above the entrance along with a decorative welcome sign and the garbage was hidden away behind a long mural.
Art boxes and interactive displays were strewn along the alley and soon it became a small artisanal landmark in the community. While that was merely an example of what could come to pass the group did suggest the city consider reworking the space into Evers Alley.
Because of the current use of the alley, McDaniel said he wasn’t sure if they would end up having it be mixed-use or fully closing off the space. However, he and the city commissioners agreed it was the perfect time to begin exploring the concept.
While the specifics are far from being fleshed out, the addition of Midtown on the way and the several other projects McDaniel put forth makes this a game changer for Evers Street. New businesses are flocking to the street and cultural landmarks, like the Photo Archives, deserve to be highlighted. The hope is having a more visibly appealing alleyway as well as interactive or appealing features to draw more people to the street will help boost business all along the block.
Evers Street was one of the four outlined parts of the focused design concept presented by CDS. It’s something the consultant group believes can be reimagined in up to two years if the city dives in quickly.