The future of North Main Street from 6th Street in downtown Jamestown to the I-86 interchange in the Town of Ellicott will be the subject of a public meeting set for Tuesday, November 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lillian V. Ney Renaissance Center, corner of Washington Street and West Third Street.
The meeting is part of “Unite North Main,” a project launched last month by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) to improve one of the city’s busiest gateway corridors. A master plan for the street is the project’s first phase and will be completed during the winter by Clark Patterson Lee, a design firm with an office on North Main Street.
“The goal of Unite North Main is to identify and ultimately implement strategies to improve residential quality of life along the corridor, to make the roadway more functional, safe, and attractive, and to boost the overall impression that local residents and visitors have when they travel the street,” said Greg Lindquist, JRC’s executive director. “Improving North Main Street, and using it as a template for improving the city’s other gateway corridors, is crucial to the overall success of our downtown and neighborhood revitalization efforts.”
The public meeting on November 24, the first of several public engagement efforts that are being planned as part of the project, will give residents an opportunity to describe what they see as challenges and opportunities along North Main Street.
“We see this as a multi-year effort involving numerous community partners on a wide range of big projects and small projects,” said Peter Lombardi, JRC’s Senior Planning Consultant. “Participation by residents, property owners, businesses, and other institutions along North Main Street, as well as the broader community, will determine the success of the project.”
The plan for North Main Street is being funded by grants from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank, and the Chautauqua County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Trust Fund.