City looking for designers to refresh entry plaza on Second Street

The City of Columbus is looking for designs to refresh the plaza at the entrance to downtown Columbus on Second Street.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission and Landmark Columbus through the Columbus Design Institute are issuing a request for qualifications to choose a designer for the property just off of the Robert N. Stewart Bridge on Second Street, or State Road 46. The property was last redesigned in 2000 by Michael VanValkenburgh and Associates. Heather Pope, redevelopment director for the city, said that there have been several complaints from residents that the entrance looks tired.

The plaza is about an acre and a half in size and is two half circle pieces of property just off the bridge and flanking either side of the road. Parts of the plaza include the POW/MIA and Law Enforcement memorials, the Robert D. Garton Veterans Plaza and it is sometimes known as the Public Safety Plaza.

The goal is to transform the gateway to be safer, more attractive and accessible, to maintain greenspace and to allow more activity and interaction. The proposal should also connect to the newly created 1821 Trail extension of The People Trail, as well as future riverfront redevelopment projects.

The request for qualifications was issued today and the deadline for submissions is March 21st.

You can find out more about the Request for Qualifications and the project here: (PDF Download) LCF_DowntownEntrancePlaza_RFQ

Graphic courtesy of Elevate Maps via the Columbus Redevelopment Department.