HyettPalma

 

 


 

 

HyettPalma
703-683-5126
info@hyettpalma.com

Featured Project:
Downtown Petoskey, Michigan

Currently, Downtown Petoskey, Michigan’s, economy is relatively healthy and Downtown Petoskey has considerable appeal in terms of its businesses, public improvements, and overall setting. However, to improve Downtown further, those in the private and public sectors will need to:

  • More aggressively direct Downtown’s economic orientation — by using clustering and creating unique niches; and
  • Position Downtown — and its unique economic personality — more clearly in the minds of the public.

The following development framework, prepared by HyettPalma, is aimed at making that possible.

Niche
The goal of the enhancement effort is to make Downtown Petoskey distinctive in the minds of the public by establishing it as:

Northern Michigan’s premier historic, waterfront Downtown where families feel at home;
where both residents and visitors are always welcome; where you can do it all…

shop, dine, enjoy the bay, have fun with your family, and be dazzled by our Magnificent Million Dollar Sunsets —

twelve months of every year.

Link Downtown and the Bay
The City of Petoskey has done an excellent job in linking Downtown proper with the bay through public improvements. This linkage is being furthered — so that Downtown Petoskey is clearly and unquestionably a waterfront Downtown — through the two primary measures shown below.

Link Downtown Proper to the Bay
In order to link Downtown proper to the bay — visually — a Waterview District is being created.

The purpose of the Waterview District is to encourage owners of businesses and property within the District to take advantage of views of the bay. This is being done by, wherever possible:

  • Creating housing and food establishments in the upper stories of buildings in the Waterview District, facing the bay;
  • Creating upper story decks and glass walls, facing the bay, in Waterview District buildings; and
  • Creating roof top and upper story deck seating for the District’s food establishments.

The intent of these improvements is to entice residents and consumers to Downtown by affording them a view of the Little Traverse Bay.

Link the Bay to Downtown Proper
In order to draw people from the bay into Downtown proper, every single portion of Downtown which is visible from the water must look festive and enticing. This is being accomplished by:

  • Using eye-catching design and motion on properties visible from the bay;
  • Using color, banners, and flowers on all properties visible from the bay; and
  • Carrying the waterfront improvement visuals into Downtown proper by placing the purple flags used at the waterfront on the tops of Downtown buildings that are visible from the bay.

The intent of these improvements is to spark the interest of those using the waterfront amenities so that they are enticed into Downtown proper.

Pedestrian District
Downtown Petoskey is very pedestrian-friendly at this time. It is very important that this characteristic of Downtown be maintained and strengthened as much as possible. Therefore, a Pedestrian District has been designated.

The goal of the Pedestrian District is to increase pedestrian traffic and movement throughout the entire area. This is being accomplished by:

  • Continuing to fill the first floors of buildings in the District with “pedestrian-pulls” — specialty businesses, food establishments, art-related uses, and other impulse uses that will entice pedestrians to walk the length of the Pedestrian District;
  • Limiting and discouraging the location of service businesses, professional offices, and other non-impulse uses in the first floors of buildings within this area, except for banks;
  • Creating clusters within the Pedestrian District — groups of businesses, uses, and destinations — that share customers/patrons and draw pedestrian movement throughout the District;
  • Further beautifying private and public property in the Pedestrian District with historic building improvements and the maximum possible use of colorful flowers;
  • Keeping Downtown compact and walkable — and not allowing Downtown’s commercial development to sprawl and expand; and
  • Keeping development in Downtown “urban” in style — and not allowing suburban-style building setbacks or parking lots in front of setback buildings.

Retail Clusters
Two retail clusters are being formed in Downtown Petoskey — with specific street-level retail businesses placed in each area to ensure maximum convenience for customers.

Outdoor Dining
Outdoor dining in a Downtown greatly adds to its pedestrian appeal and sense of vitality. And, unlike many other waterfront communities in Michigan and throughout the nation, Downtown Petoskey is not experiencing any significant amount of outdoor dining space development. Therefore, outdoor dining — on sidewalks, decks, and roof tops — is being allowed in Downtown Petoskey as a conditional use — and aggressively encouraged.

© HyettPalma 2008