TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — In an effort to create a community riverfront master plan, the Wabash River Planning Partnership is collaborating with Stantec, a landscaping architecture, design, and engineering firm, to help improve and accelerate the area’s development along the riverfront.
In an announcement on Tuesday morning, the Wabash River Planning Partnership, comprised of several local organizations including the City of Terre Haute, Vigo County, RiverSCAPE, and Thrive West Central, announced the launch of the riverfront master planning process.
“The ultimate goal is to create a vibrant riverfront district that will be unique to the Terre Haute community and all of West Central Indiana,” Lori Danielson, Wabash River Planning Partnership Steering Committee Chairperson said. “A strategic planning process like this builds upon both past and present efforts. We want the plan to be a framework to guide investments and real estate development, provide operational and governance systems, steer land conservation, and inspire recreational and entertainment experiences for the next 10-20 years.”
Danielson said this will happen in phases over the next 12 months. The phases are as follows:
- Phase 1: Discovery.
- Phase 2: Analysis.
- Phase 3: Ideas.
- Phase 4: Refinement.
- Phase 5: Delivery.
“Our key goals are really to drive economic development, add quality of life, and add fun and engaging activities that we can utilize,” Danielson said.
A project study was conducted for an area of around 1,700 acres along the east and west sides of the Wabash River, which includes downtown, the Wabashiki Wetlands, north to the Loft apartments, and runs just south of Interstate 70. The secondary study examined areas that expanded north on both sides of the river.
Workshops and surveys will be conducted to gather input regarding the goals, vision, and ideas for the studied areas. Residents are welcome to provide their input on the riverfront development through a survey that can be accessed by visiting the Wabash RiverSCAPE webpage. Results with that data and information will be released as the planning process develops.
Mayor-elect Brandon Sakbun said this further drives the initiative of not only getting people to come to Terre Haute but also making it a place where people want to stay.
“I really think this is a great step forward, doing a full master plan on the riverfront. If you look at a lot of the major players, it’s not just government. It’s the business industry, the private sector, we are going to be seeking a lot of community input from your everyday citizen,” Sakbun said.
The Wabash River Planning Partnership expects the community riverfront master plan to take about a year to complete and hopes to present the results and recommendations for the project in the second half of 2024.
If you want to have your voice heard, you can attend the public input session on Wednesday, November 29 at 9 a.m. at the Vigo County History Center.
Danielson said they hope to present findings and recommendations sometime in the second half of 2024.
