The public will have a chance to see and comment on the downtown master plan Monday during an open session with city planners from LPK Architects, the firm contracted to design the plan. 

Weston Lindemann, the representative for Ward 5, which covers downtown, and local business owners have asked to have input into the master plan.

If You Go

The public meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at City Hall on Monday, will give residents a chance to walk through the plan with LPK Architects and a chance to provide their own input. 

Lindemann has questioned the council’s access to the master plan publicly, via council meetings and Facebook. 

“City Council members can’t see any documents related to the master plan because those documents are under copyright until the plan is finalized,” Lindemann posted on May 5. “The company working on the master plan has concerns that sharing the unfinished plan with council members might lead to the plan being influenced by business interests and property owners.”

During a Friday interview, Lindemann said he felt the community, especially the city council, should have been involved throughout the process.

“I don’t know how to do a public hearing when we don’t know what we’re talking about,” Lindemann said. 

Bob Luke, of LPK Architects, said the council had been involved on two separate occasions: once after their election and during design charettes in November. 

“I called each council member and asked about their dreams and desires for downtown after they were elected,” Luke said. “They all had a little bit of a different point of view.”

The city hired Luke’s firm in December of 2016 for $93,500 to develop a master plan, bypassing an encouraged practice to open the plan up for competitive bidding. 

Luke described the plan as more of a “road map” that would be flexible to the city’s changes. Previously, the firm had designed master plans for community colleges and had a city planner, Dynelle Long, on staff. 

The plan would address traffic flow from drivers, pedestrians, bicycles and even taxis or public transportation such as shuttles by contracting out a traffic and parking plan. It would take into account the projected visitors to the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience as well as the proposed Children’s Museum. 

Luke said he tackled projects that could be addressed immediately, some of which he said the city has already acted on with downtown sidewalk improvements and paving.

“The planning team has worked throughout this process to identify ‘low-hanging fruit,’ or goals that are easily achievable, to help move the master plan forward,” a May 8 letter from LPK states. LPK shared the letter with The Star but it is unclear who received the letter. “The planning team has guided recent discussion on plantings, landscape, crosswalks and lighting in downtown Meridian.”

Richie McAlister also told the council at a meeting May 1 that he had seen the master plan and implemented small projects. McAlister, the city’s chief administrative officer, worked with city crews planting flowers and putting down mulch at the Doughboy Monument across from City Hall. 

Lindemann said that the council wasn’t included on these plans for “low-hanging fruit” or small projects. 

“I don’t know if any member (of the council) felt they had adequate input,” Lindemann said. “If they’ve got 60 percent of a traffic study or this ‘low-hanging fruit’ I don’t see why they couldn’t share.” 

Luke said they had briefed the council during an April executive session, which Lindemann said may have violated the state’s open meetings law because the meeting was supposed to address another topic. 

Downtown business owners have also asked to have more input in the master plan, with Paul Bucurel, who owns the United States Rare Coin and Currency on 5th Street, and Tricia LaBiche, of LaBiche Jewelers, both approaching the council on May 1.  

“It is important for us to create opportunity and to work together,” LaBiche told the council. “We were told we would be included in the discussion. That has not happened and it has left us disappointed.”

Some business owners were invited to participate in the November design charettes but Luke said, “We can’t invite everybody.”

“We have more to offer than just our land taxes and our sales taxes,” LaBiche said on May 1. 

Luke said he had identified several priorities, including a new gateway to downtown, a mid-block crosswalk for Anderson doctors across 14th Street and finding another purpose for the railroads in Meridian. 

One suggestion including a sort of “low line” park, inspired by the New York City’s High Line Park, or elevated park and rail trail. 

“We’re not utilizing it,” Luke said. “We want to make the railroad a positive aspect.”

The railroad could even be repurposed beyond the current two passenger Amtrak train trips to short, inner city trips, Luke said.

The public meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at City Hall on Monday, will give residents a chance to walk through the plan with LPK Architects and a chance to provide their own input. 

“We’ll process that and try to vet the relevant stuff that makes sense,” Luke said. “I think it’s really important for the public to go in with an open mind.”

This would be part of the ‘Concept Refinement’ stage of the planning process. Luke said the plan had already gone through the data collection and analysis phase, which makes plan development the final stage of the process. 

“It’s not fair to give our findings and say ‘take it or leave it,’ ” Luke said about soliciting audience questions during the public meeting.  

Luke said it may take several weeks to reach the next step after the public meeting, which would include another meeting with the “client,” or city. 

“There will be a deliverable document. It’s got to be accessible to people,” Luke said. “This is going to be converted into bricks and mortar.”