DDA Talks Next Steps for Riverwalk, Market Pavilion, Rotary Square

Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board members Friday directed staff to prepare a request-for-proposals (RFP) for construction documents to redevelop the Lower Boardman/Ottaway riverwalk area near the J. Smith Walkway. The documents would be the last major design piece for the project, allowing construction to proceed if funding and city commission approvals are secured in the future.

Board members Friday also heard updates on the two other major projects using remaining TIF 97 funds: the new farmers market pavilion, which is set to break ground July 27 but will now take until spring to complete, and improvements to Rotary Square.

Riverwalk
DDA board members are hoping to take a long-discussed project to redevelop the riverwalk area in the 100 block alley of Front Street “over the finish line” to a completed design.

That’s how board member Pete Kirkwood described the process of getting construction documents done. It’s the last step in a multi-phase effort that has also included schematic design and design development. INFORM Studio has completed the work to date and was proposed by staff to finish the last step under a not-to-exceed contract of $310,450.

Several board members said getting those documents done would ensure the project is shovel-ready whenever future board members and city commissioners are ready to act. While it’s an open question how and when construction would be funded, getting the project teed up after years of discussion and public input is crucial, board members said. “This isn't necessarily for us,” said board member Jeff Joubran. “It's more so for my children. We have to keep it going.” Agreed Kirkwood: “I think every step we don't take now is a step we risk never taking.”

However, board members were divided on whether to award the contract to INFORM Studio – which DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder said would provide “significant efficiencies and continuity” since the company has done all the design work to date – or put it out to bid. The board hemmed and hawed on that point, expressing an openness to check pricing against the market but not wanting to substantially delay progress. An initial vote to go through a competitive bid process failed 2-5. However, after further discussion, the board changed direction and verbally instructed staff to proceed with an RFP process.

The riverwalk redesign has been in the works since at least 2018, when the DDA started working on its Lower Boardman River Unified Plan. Burkholder said this project would focus on one piece of the larger puzzle in the Lower Boardman area. Plans include a remodeled J. Smith Walkway, new pedestrian amenities in the adjacent alley and parking lot, and a new pedestrian bridge to connect the alley to the farmers market lot (pictured, renderings).

Burkholder noted the city is in the process of analyzing the river wall in the 100-block alley to determine options for its long-term stability, which could include either armoring/strengthening the existing wall or moving it several feet back. The DDA and city engineering have been in communication about those options, Burkholder said, with the new riverfront design able to accommodate either scenario.

Farmers Market Pavilion
A new pavilion planned for the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market in Lot B at the corner of Cass Street and Grandview Parkway to set to break ground July 27.

That’s a few weeks later than initially planned, with the DDA originally hoping to start construction right after the National Cherry Festival. However, the project “experienced some delays with materials,” Burkholder explained Friday. While the revised schedule “extends the overall project timeline, it minimizes the impact on summer parking while allowing the contractor to maximize construction progress before winter,” he wrote in a memo to the board.

“We remain hopeful for favorable weather conditions that will enable the project to advance as far as possible before the seasonal shutdown,” he added. But in all likelihood, the project will be completed next spring rather than this fall, Burkholder said. That means the farmers market will operate at Rotary Square for the rest of this season, with the DDA also to potentially pay more to the city’s parking fund to cover lost revenues from the extended schedule. As part of the project, the city is simultaneously reconstructing Lot B and making stormwater improvements to the property. Team Elmer’s is the contractor for the project.

Rotary Square
Along with the riverfront redesign and the market pavilion, improving Rotary Square is the third major project set to receive remaining TIF 97 funds. In an update Friday, Burkholder said the DDA is working with city engineering to prepare bid documents that will be released this fall. The DDA is also coordinating with the city and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission on connections between Rotary Square and FishPass. The goal has been to provide a connection through the alley between the two properties and create a FishPass overlook on the north side of the river.

However, those plans have been complicated by recent erosion on the north riverbank and “restoration efforts resulting from the damage caused by April’s flooding,” Burkholder said. The likelihood is that the overlook will now need to move several feet back. However, the involved partners will continue to collaborate to “ensure that future improvements are complementary, avoid unnecessary duplication of work, and maximize the long-term investment in and along the river,” Burkholder said.

Photo credit: INFORM Studio