A group of students from the City & Regional Planning Studio at Ohio State University in collaboration with Chad Gibson AICP who is the Community Development Director for the City of Upper Arlington presented a three-part presentation to a group of Dresden Community Partners. The third part of the presentation happened at 701 Chestnut Street inside the old Longaberger University Building on Thursday, April 20th during the Union Square Thursday Backyard Market.
The plan set forth by the group was based on information gathered from visiting Dresden and speaking with community stakeholders as well as information gained from a 2004 Strategic Plan issued by Kinzelman Kline Gossman that included a market analysis and key planning objectives.
The New Direction Dresden Action Plan took 15 weeks to prepare and was a graduate program study done by OSU students Brandeyn Seeger, Brandon Carpenter, Tayyiba Kauser, Georgia Papakirk, Konner Kelly, Smita Patil, and Gary Armyn.
The action plan followed information gained from case studies from 8 different communities in and near Ohio that have all undergone similar village restoration projects to the ones proposed. In the action plan presented to Dresden, the group made recommendations organized into three categories based on the length of time needed to implement each project which was short-term, medium-term, and long-term.
Some of the short-term items in the plan involved hiring and getting volunteers to help write grants to make the rest of the action plan items possible through grant funding if not in full at least in part. They also mentioned creating a Dresden Art Council as well as a Tree Council because to secure some of the grants needed, becoming part of Tree City USA is imperative.
The medium-term items in the project plan included highway signage for OH-16 in the form of a tourist-oriented directional sign from the Ohio Department of Transportation. This plan also mentions billboards to be erected on private property along the highway as well as along State Route 60. Updated wayfinding and branding was also something brought to light in the presentation. The group proposed a map showing 13 different wayfinding and important location signs to be put up throughout Dresden and Trinway to allow visitors and residents to navigate the community.
An expansion of the existing Muskingum Recreational Trail to connect the bike trail to Main Street and eventually loop around the village along State Route 60 and scenic areas to add connectivity and alternative transportation routes for residents, visitors, and employees of the village to get to and from different parts of Dresden and eventually Zanesville.
The original plan as well as this revised plan included developing a Special Improvement District on Main Street from Dave Longaberger Avenue to West 11th Street.
The long-term goals of the project entailed a two-way trail running along Route 60 with trees and landscaping to provide a more welcoming “gateway” for visitors coming to the community which would hopefully draw more attention to the area.
One of the more lofty goals of the plan was a Main Street Plaza proposed for the old IGA lot on Main Street as a commercial and civic hub for the community that would involve relocating the world’s largest basket to the lot as well as creating streetscape improvements. The plaza could include seating, green spaces, space for farmer’s markets, festivals, and other community events. Moving the basket to the log would make it a more prominent focal point and allow the village to celebrate its basket-making history. They also proposed moving the Dave Longaberger memorial to park space next to 610 Main Street to make the memorial more visible and a more obvious extension of the plaza space.
Another long-term proposal was to establish a National Basket Museum, the creation of which would make a new tourist draw to bring people back to Dresden.
A maker’s space and business incubator were drawn up for the area of the old Longaberger Factory at the end of Main Street near the bridge. This space would be an economic development and tourism-oriented project that would reflect new art as well as the history of basket making in the area. The maker’s space building would be an architecturally inspiring build that would feature outdoor pavilions and trees, with a focus on sustainability and low environmental impact. The facility would encourage small business growth by providing studio space for rent and allowing these businesses to pay for the time that they are using the centrally located appliances. The space would also look to promote the art of basket weaving offering weaving classes for high school students encouraging them to carry on those traditions.
The group provided well-designed layouts as well as information for grants that could be applied to different stages of the project in conjunction with community foundations that could help.
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