Project Overview
What is a Master Plan?
A master plan is a comprehensive guide for encouraging future land development. It is based on the current market situation, the projected growth of an area, and the housing, population and economic trends that will influence development. It serves to answer critical questions about the area and provide the best plan for its use. The overall intention for the Newnan Central Park Master Plan is to establish community based guidelines for the growth and redevelopment of several blocks along the eastern and southern side of the downtown area.
Goals for the plan:
- Create a shared vision for the project among all individuals involved in the project, i.e. "stakeholders".
- Provide a primer on well proportioned, appropriately styled urban design and architecture.
- Provide clear definition of and set expectations for the character and form of the built environment and public spaces.
- Set sustainability goals and propose standards.
- Identify financial and funding mechanisms.
- Define environmental rehabilitation processes such as brown field process.
- Discuss project priority or selection processes.
- Establish development/developer review processes.
- Suggest implementation efforts.
- Estimate time line expectations.
The physical result of the master planning process is a written document, with illustrations and maps, and includes the following:
- Primary land use plan
- Multi-modal transportation and circulation plan
- Open space plan
- Infrastructure improvement plan
- Architectural and urban design guidelines
- Development and funding mechanisms
- Environmental reparation plan with EPD and EPA program guidelines
- Proposed overlay district with form based zoning standards
What is the Study Area?
We are studying approximately 122 acres on the eastern and southern side of downtown Newnan that includes industrial, light industrial, residential, office and retail spaces. The area stretches south from the former Hannah Homes site on Jefferson Street, continues along the railroad tracks to the Coweta County Justice Center on Greenville Street, and then extends west across First Avenue.
Click on image to see a larger view of the study area.
What is the Planning Process?
The Master Plan Project will be managed by TownWorks, LLC and is comprised of various consulting teams that will research, analyze and develop the plan concept. This planning team is charged with the goal of determining where the city is now, where it is headed and then illustrate what the city could be if the Newnan Central Park project is developed.
The first step in the planning process is to compile extensive base information and materials. The team will then work with the City to incorporate strategies from the Comprehensive Plan and work with other city and local entities to identify and address specific issues. Each of the members of the planning team will then begin their preliminary work. Once this phase of the process is complete, initial concepts will be presented in a community design charette to invite public review and input. The teams will then incorporate the public responses into their specific plans, formulate final details, and prepare the written master document.
Once the document is complete, the Newnan Central Park Partners will present the plan to the City Council for approval.
Further information about the scope of work for each team follows:
Market Research Team:
This team will conduct a market analysis of the downtown business district, the redevelopment areas, and the surrounding areas that may be directly impacted by or could influence the master plan; quantify and forecast residential and commercial market opportunities; analyze current market conditions within the city’s downtown business district to determine the current business mix, market role, strengths and weaknesses, marketing gaps and unrealized opportunities; suggest land use strategies for the redevelopment area which do not compete with downtown and serve to reinforce and strengthen the economic assets and competitive position in the region.
Financial Team:
The Financial Team will consider various alternative land use concepts for the area and then provide market and financial insights about the possible mixes; collaborate with the project team to define various development alternatives for presentation in the plan; prepare development pro-formas based on the preferred land use alternatives; provide insight to the need for financial incentives that would be required for feasibility; model the potential impact of suggested incentives on the redevelopment plan; prepare an implementation strategy.
Urban Design Team:
The Urban Design Team will create plans depicting proposed end uses for various sites or locations within the identified study area. Areas identified may include various residential components, commercial and business areas, institutional areas and other mixed use functions; open spaces to include public plazas, parks, and green spaces; transportation plans to include accessible walking corridors including sidewalks, bicycle path systems, non-paved recreation paths, proposed road improvement or construction, railroad crossing suggestions and mass transit routes.
Architecture Team:
The Architecture Team will create the basic form and material based design guidelines to promote an agreed upon aesthetic quality and coordinated future development. This may include identification of case studies and precedents, varying controls for different types of projects and potential review procedures. Standards may also address sidewalk, planting and other pedestrian scale materials and elements such as lights, benches, sinage and way finding elements.
Infrastructure Improvement Team:
The Infrastructure Improvement Team will review existing utilities and storm water management availabilities, create a basic projection of future needs and proposals to meet them, suggest appropriate service upgrades such as city wide wireless internet access and more discrete utility service line placement.
Planning Documents
Coming Soon