SALISBURY — A three-day design workshop to come up with solutions for problem areas along East Innes and Long streets kicks off Wednesday.
Called a charrette, the event at the Gateway Building, 204 E. Innes St., will bring together paid consultants, city staff, property owners, residents and businesses to identify problems and possible fixes. Officials from the N.C. Department of Transportation also will participate.
The city’s in-depth look at transportation and safety issues along the corridors is dubbed “Complete Streets: Long/Innes Street Study.”
City Council in July appointed 16 people to a steering committee for Complete Streets. Eighty percent of the funding for the $120,000 study is coming from the Cabarrus-Rowan Metropolitan Planning Organization and 10 percent from the NCDOT. The city is picking up the remaining 10 percent, or $12,000.
Consulting firm Design Workshop of Asheville will lead the charrette.
The charrette is open to the public. The itinerary includes:
9–10 a.m. Internal team kickoff
10 a.m.-noon Site walk and review of specific problem areas in corridor
Noon-1 p.m. Team working lunch will discuss options; needed analysis; outline potential approaches
The Interview Team will conduct meetings with stakeholder groups to gather additional feedback and information about specific areas. Meetings are open to the public:
1–1:30 p.m. Set up for focus group meetings
1:30–2:15 p.m. Focus Group meeting No. 1: Brooklyn South Square and East End
2:30–3:15 p.m. Focus Group meeting No. 2: Park Avenue Neighborhood
3:30–4:15 p.m. Focus Group meeting No. 3: Business and property owners/general public
4:30–5:15 p.m. Focus Group meeting No. 4: Business and property owners/general public
5:30–6:15 p.m. Focus Group meeting No. 5: Business and property owners/general public
The Planning Team will begin to formulate potential corridor improvements, weighing the function, aesthetics and feasibility for each alternative:
1–3 p.m. Further mapping analysis and coordination with VHB (traffic engineers)
4–6 p.m. City staff and NCDOT present to answer questions and to provide additional information toward design solutions
6:30–7:30 p.m. Team dinner and recap of day
9–9:30 a.m. Presentation of summary of findings
9:30–10 a.m. Presentation of potential alternatives
10 a.m.– noon Division of work to design team members
Noon–1 p.m. Team lunch, steering committee members invited to discuss alternatives
1–3 p.m. Refinement of alternatives
3–3:45 p.m. Entire team meets to review progress, outline presentation
3:45–5 p.m. Finish alternatives
6–7 p.m. Team dinner

7–9 p.m. Catch up production time if needed
9 a.m.–10 a.m. Team recap

10 a.m.–noon Final presentation adjustments
Noon–1:30 p.m. Presentation to Steering Committee
2 p.m. Clean up and travel home
To learn more, call Lynn Raker at 704-638-5235 or lrake@salisburync.gov.