Two Design Concepts Emerge for Rotary Square

A public engagement process to create a design for Rotary Square – the new downtown civic square at the corner of Union and State streets – is nearing the finish line, with two concepts emerging as frontrunners. The Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) hosted a public open house Tuesday to unveil the finalists and gather more input with the goal of getting to a final preferred concept in August.

The latest designs incorporate feedback from nearly 300 people who either attended a May open house or participated in an online survey on six options reflecting three main design approaches to Rotary Square: a plaza-centric approach, a park-centric approach, or a plaza-park hybrid. Participants largely rejected the hardscaped design of a pure plaza, preferring more park-like or hybrid features.

Amenities that ranked at the bottom of participants’ priority lists were scrapped from the two finalist designs, such as fireplaces, a concessions/tickets/rental stand, streetscape sculptures, and an art panel along the AT&T parking lot. Dropping those amenities reflects the need to “start prioritizing” the features residents most want to see as the DDA homes in on a final design, says Lauren Pedigo of consulting firm Progressive Companies.

Several amenities that were most favored by participants are included in both of the latest concepts. Those include a FishPass overlook, a shade structure, a respite garden along the AT&T parking lot, a swing bench, a bosque of trees, natural elements, and a small performance stage. The first design concept, Concept A – nicknamed “Outdoor Living Room” – features a centralized large lawn with seating around the perimeter. “Straight lines and geometric forms draw from the historic and traditional architectural character of downtown Traverse City, reinforcing its sense of order, rhythm, and timeless design,” the description states.

Concept A envisions locating a small performance stage in the alley south of Rotary Square, helping draw visitors over to FishPass. The stage would feature seating so it would still be inviting for public use when performances aren’t taking place, Pedigo says. “It’s a really nice place to hang out and look at FishPass,” she says. Overhead lighting, terraced seating of varying heights, and both fixed and moveable furnishings are also featured in the park design.

Concept B, nicknamed “Petoskey Stone,” features more organic, curving lines throughout the park. Those fluid boundaries “reflect the design language of the adjacent FishPass development and echo the natural features of the Leelanau Peninsula,” the description states. In addition to a more free-flowing layout, the site features a “runnel” amenity – a dry channel with a narrow bridge crossing that could capture rain and be used as an educational tool on water management.

Participants previously expressed mixed feelings on including a water feature in the park, so Pedigo says Progressive Companies included the runnel option as an alternate to a fountain to gauge public interest in proceeding. “We’ve heard the importance of the Boardman-Ottaway river being celebrated...so we wanted to see before we ruled out a (water feature) if we could incorporate that in a more natural way,” she says.

Concept B also uses a portion of the southern alley closest to Union Street for seating and park elements. Pedigo says the DDA is supportive of removing a section of parking in that alley stretch to help connect Rotary Square and FishPass, a linkage that’s been envisioned in the planning of both projects. The alley could still potentially accommodate vehicle traffic, with amenities set back closer to the river and temporary bollards used during events or performances to cordon off the alley. However, multiple attendees at Tuesday’s open house suggested closing or vacating the alley entirely to accommodate expanded park amenities.

In addition to collecting in-person feedback Tuesday, the DDA and Progressive Companies have posted both designs on the Rotary Square website and opened an online survey to gather more community feedback. Pedigo says the team will once again use that input to identify the elements residents like most in both designs and narrow that down to a final preferred design in August.

“That will still be a conceptual design, but that’s going to be the one we use for pricing to understand implementation,” Pedigo says. Cost estimates will allow the DDA to determine how best to move forward, including a potential phased approach to construction that could begin next year. Rotary Square is one of three priority projects the DDA wants to tackle using funds remaining in the TIF 97 fund – set to expire in 2027 – along with a farmers market pavilion and riverwalk improvements.