Hobart eyes revamped downtown Jan. 31

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Updated: January 16, 2012 10:54PM

HOBART— The future of the downtown business district will be the topic of a joint meeting Jan. 31 between the City Council and several boards and commissions now that there is public input on the issue.

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Festival Park Community Center at Festival Park on Old Ridge Road.

Meeting with the City Council will be members of the Redevelopment Commission, Board of Public Works and Safety, Historical Preservation Committee and Plan Commission, City Planner A.J. Bytnar said.

Bytnar said the purpose of the meeting is two-fold: to present relevant information received from the public in a survey on the downtown and to get the board members’ input on what needs to be done to make the area more lively and vibrant.

“We want to make it a live, work and play downtown,” Bytnar said.

He said the survey was conducted by consultants paid by the city’s Redevelopment Commission and a Lake Michigan Coastal Program grant. The survey was available on the city’s website. Residents said what they liked about the downtown and what they wanted to see there.

“Public participation has been very important. It’s not what the city wants for the area. It’s what the public wants,” he said.

He said with the public input in mind, city officials and board members will look at what types of businesses the city should try to attract to its downtown, how to make it more user-friendly and discuss what will be the second generation of bike and walking trails extending through the business area.

Sheila DeBonis, president of the Redevelopment Commission, said the market study evaluates the city’s strengths and programs, and discusses how to attract more business developments.

“It is very comprehensive,” DeBonis said.

The downtown area basically encompasses 2nd to 5th streets and Lake George to Duck Creek.

The Special Events committee already has been holding a number of events in the downtown area to boost traffic there, including the Power Boat Show and the Summer Market, which has grown so large it’s moving to Festival Park this spring.