July 14, 2010
The Blanco Streetscape project has taken a big leap forward! Last week, the full Committee agreed on the selection of an urban planning company to develop the Master Streetscape Plan for our city. The next step is to present the Committee’s recommendation to the City Council for their approval. That will happen at the next Council meeting in August. Once that is complete, and the Council approves, we’ll be able to officially ‘announce’ the selection and share examples of the superior work that the company has accomplished throughout Texas and other states. The Committee is excited about the selection and anxious to announce it and move forward in developing a master streetscape plan for our town. As you may remember from previous articles, our Vision is to: “Preserve and maintain the unique historical character of Blanco while encouraging and attracting economic development.” We’re confident that, once the Master Streetscape Plan is complete, we will be well on the road to realizing that Vision!
But what is the next step after the plan is complete? A very good question. The execution of the plan will be much more complex, and costly than the Plan itself. The Committee expects thattu once the Master Plan is accepted and approved by the City, we will begin the process of identifying the resource requirements, i.e., funding and other resources, seeking qualified contractors, and developing an executable plan to implement the Streetscape Master Plan’s recommendations.
In the immediate future, the Committee is working hard to identify funding sources from both private and public organizations, with which to pay the master planning organization. With the enthusiasm and support the Committee has received from Blanco citizens and local businesses, we’re confident that we can obtain the necessary funding, which will enable the City to enter into a contract with the master planner.
Finally, what is a streetscape design? There are probably as many definitions as there are people who develop designs. However, elements of a streetscape design can be street lights, landscaping, street furniture, ‘gateways’ (to the city or historical area, for example), traffic calming and pedestrian flow paths, etc. All of these elements are designed to preserve the unique history and character of the area, town, or city — and stimulate economic development.
In summary, the Streetscape Committee is excited about the progress to date and selection of an urban planning organization to present to the City Council next month. This is a major step in insuring Blanco maintains our unique and historical character! Future articles of “Blanco Tomorrow” will continue to update our citizens on streetscape progress — and challenges!
June 16, 2010
(This is an update designed to inform and update Blanco citizens and interested parties on the many activities underway and planned to improve Blanco and its surroundings.)
The Blanco Streetscape project has reached a new milestone! Of the 10 letters that were sent to prospective urban planning organizations requesting their ideas, concepts and plans for a Master Streetscape Project, 3 organizations submitted formal proposals. These which are now being evaluated to determine which best ‘fits’ our Vision and Objectives, and which provides the ‘best value’ for Blanco. The evaluation process should be complete within a month and we’ll announce the selected organization!
In each of the proposals, the organizations proposed a series of public meetings to obtain community input as to what makes Blanco unique, what would make it more unique, what could/would stimulate economic development while still maintaining our rural character, etc. After this process, the urban planners would then begin to develop preliminary concept plans and sketches of what the Blanco Historical District and points beyond could look like in the future. In each of the proposals, the planners included examples of their past work in similar cities – all of which raised the ‘excitement’ level of the committee members reviewing the proposals. As you may remember from our last article, the Streetscape Committee’s Vision for Blanco is to Preserve and maintain the unique historical character of Blanco while encouraging and attracting economic development. What many of the urban planning organizations have done to satisfy similar visions in other cites is nothing short of amazing! We want to capitalize on their experiences and capture the uniqueness and rural character of our town while revitalizing Blanco.
The final hurdle to contracting with the selected urban planning organization is to obtain funding for the Master Plan project. In that regard, the committee has been researching both public and private sources of funding. Once the committee has selected the planning organization and the City Council has approved it, we will have solid data with which to begin preparing our funding proposal(s) to those agencies and organizations most likely to support our Streetscape project.
In summary, the Streetscape Committee is enthused and excited over the proposals they have received. Each is unique and offers exciting possibilities for Blanco! Once the evaluation and approval process is complete, the excitement and enthusiasm level will build even higher! We look forward to the public meetings and input from the citizens of Blanco. Together, we can truly achieve our Vision!
May 5, 2010
(This is the first in a series of articles designed to inform and update Blanco citizens and interested parties on the many activities underway and planned to improve Blanco and its surroundings.)
Blanco in some ways is like Rip Van Winkle. We’re awakening in the early part of the 21st Century to a changed world. The pressure of San Antonio and Austin’s growth is causing concern and questions: what do we want to become as these two urban giants continue to expand toward our town? How do we maintain our unique, historical and rural character? What can we do to stimulate economic development yet still maintain that character? While there is no single answer to these questions, there are activities and initiatives underway to address each – and more!
If fact, there are lots of exciting activities illustrating that Blanco is ‘on the move’! Take, for example, the revitalization of the west side of the Historic Town Square. Led by Uptown Blanco, Ltd. the transformation being accomplished is amazing. From a wonderful restaurant serving high-class food in a period atmosphere to venues providing art and entertainment to our citizens. They are making a lasting, positive impact on Blanco for both today and tomorrow. Another example is the Old Courthouse. Led by the Old Blanco Courthouse Preservation Committee, they are transforming a beautiful architectural building into a magnet for activities (such as a sight for the filming of “True Grit” next month) and historical interest. And last, the Lavender Festival, an activity that’s put Blanco on the map as the “Lavender Capital of Texas” and is drawing people from all over the state and introducing them to our unique town.
Another example, last October the Blanco City Council approved a Resolution authorizing establishment of a committee to develop a master streetscape plan to preserve and beautify the historic district of Blanco and to enhance economic development. Under the leadership of Ms. Linda Howard, Chair of the Blanco Historic Preservation Commission, the Streetscape Committee, composed of interested citizens, business owners and city representatives, has been very active since last November. They have invited urban planning organizations to present their past accomplishments (with similar towns) to the Committee, they have identified a Vision and Objectives for a Master Streetscape Plan and have sent formal requests to 10 separate urban planning organizations for their ideas and suggestions to accomplish the Resolution objectives. The organizations receiving requests range from established commercial urban planning firms to public institutions such as Texas A&M’s Department of Architecture. Here are the Vision and Objectives developed by the committee and sent to the urban planning organizations seeking their ideas, suggestions, and cost estimates for attaining them.
Vision: Preserve and maintain the unique historical character of Blanco while encouraging and attracting economic development.
Objectives:
- Pedestrian friendly
- Environmentally attractive and pleasing
- Historically accurate
- Economically attractive and viable to both businesses and customers, i.e. a 'magnet' to customers, tourists, etc.
- Accessible parking
- Safe and accessible transportation network
- A ‘traffic calming’ US Highway 281
- Easy and pleasing access to the Historical District by residents and visitors via walking or biking
- Well lit, but night-sky friendly
The committee has researched and discussed funding options for the Streetscape Master initiative with both public and private organizations and will seek financial Grant(s) to fund the Master Plan once estimated costs are received from our urban planning partners. Future articles under the banner “Blanco Tomorrow” will discuss committee progress and updates of the Streetscape Master Plan initiative.
In summary, it’s springtime in Blanco and springtime for Blanco! Supported by an active and interested City Council and citizenry, Blanco is forging ahead with new and exciting activities which will further ‘brand’ our town as a unique and fun place to visit in the Hill Country, and a prosperous one to boot! From Uptown Blanco’s transformation, to the designation as Lavender Capital of Texas, to our planned Streetscape initiative, Blanco is on the move! Blanco tomorrow will be even more unique and exciting!
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