CLIENT: City of Jefferson, Wisconsin
DATES: 2021-2022
NEED: The City of Jefferson is an historic riverfront community undergoing a downtown renaissance and rebranding, with an emphasis on quality of life connected to outdoor recreation. The community was looking for streetscape improvements focused on safety and beautification in a highly visible six-block area of Downtown Jefferson that had experienced episodic river flooding in the last decade. Vandewalle & Associates provided design recommendations and Improvements that address these issues and would further implementation of Jefferson’s Downtown & Riverfront Redevelopment Area Plan updated in 2015 as well as the community’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan.
ROLE: Using input gathered in worksessions and public workshops, V&A provided streetscape recommendations within the existing curb to rights-of-way area. The plan located elements including:
- Hardscape design, widths and materials for terraces, sidewalks, intersection treatment, and crosswalks
- Streetscape features, such as street trees, benches, lighting, and public art
- Streetscape element locations
- Recommendations for suitable street tree species
- Intersection enhancements and safety improvements on sidewalks, including design and materials
- Stormwater management features such as rain gardens, permeable pavers, cisterns
- Additions to existing street light poles such as banners, hanging plantings or outlets, based on existing pole specification
RESULTS/IMPACT: Design development was completed with final design and construction in 2022. The streetscape improvements have helped give life and definition to the community’s “We’re going outside” image program. Murals, art pieces, and structural improvements can be encountered throughout that have given this walkable area new safety and vibrancy, brought its history to life with authenticity, and a created a strong sense of place.