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The Pioneer Park Coalition hopes to build momentum for a remake of the Rio Grande neighborhood through a four-day urban planning extravaganza this week.
The so-called planning "charrette" — a brainstorming session — will bring together urban planners, architects, business people and whoever else wants to participate. It includes an open house Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the offices of Big-D Construction, 404 W. 400 South. The public is welcome to drop by and share ideas on Pioneer Park and the surrounding neighborhood.
Next week, the coalition will present its recommendations to Mayor Ralph Becker and the City Council. The idea, according to architect and urban designer Soren Simonsen, is to improve public assets, such as Pioneer Park and the transportation links around it, to draw private investment into the area.
Simonsen, a former councilman, said there is a new momentum to improve the park and the Rio Grande neighborhood. The area appears ripe for a renaissance.
"The stars seem to be aligning now," he said Wednesday.
The planning effort runs parallel to one initiated by the Pioneer Park Coalition late last year to evaluate services provided to the homeless population in the area. The coalition is comprised of about 200 members from the public and private sectors with the stated goal of making the neighborhood better for businesses and safer for residents and the homeless population.
For years, the Rio Grande neighborhood has been plagued by crime, drug dealing and prostitution. As the coalition's plan to evaluate homeless services gained momentum, the Becker administration adopted it. The mayor's 30-member commission on homeless services convened its first meeting in January and is expected to determine by year's end how to improve those services and whether they should be relocated.
The Pioneer Park Coalition hopes that what comes out of the planning charrette will have a similar impact on City Hall, said coalition Chairman Scott Howell.
"We have businesses and residents who want a voice in how their neighborhood is shaped," he said. "We want to move forward."
Already approved is Phase II of the city's Pioneer Park Master Plan that calls for a rearrangement of trees to make way for a soccer field in its center. The plan also outlines new restrooms at park perimeters that are family friendly.
As important — Micah Peters, a coalition member and developer, said — is bringing more activities, such as the farmers market and Twilight Concert Series, to the park that makes it more inviting for everyone.