Athens Welcome Center - Master Plan Update

ATHENS WELCOME CENTER

MASTER PLAN

280 E Dougherty Street Athens, GA 30601

Koons Environmental Design, Inc. March 3, 2017

• PEDESTRIAN & BICYCLE CIRCULATION AND ADA COMPATIBILITY

• VISITOR VEHICULAR ACCESS & PARKING

• LANDSCAPE AND VISIBILITY ENHANCEMENTS

OVERVIEW

THE ATHENS WELCOME CENTER MASTER PLAN PROVIDES RECOMMENDED SITE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE THE RESULT OF EXTENDED DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN EVELYN REECE, THE CURRENT AWC DIRECTOR, AND KOONS ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS ARE AIMED AT ACHIEVING BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES THAT ARE BROADLY GROUPED INTO THE FOLLOWING THREE CATEGORIES:

MASTER PLAN

IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN ACCESS IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION IMPROVED PARKING ADDITIONAL PARKING UPDATED LANDSCAPE AND GARDENS 5

3 1

RTY S

TREE

T

1

2

GHE

AWC 5

DOU

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

THOMA

2

T

S STREE

4

THE MASTER PLAN PROPOSES ADDITIONAL PARKING AND IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN ACCESS FROM PUBLIC STREETS TO AID IN DEVELOPING A GREATER CITY PRESENCE. UPDATING THE LANDSCAPE AND CREATING MORE ACCESSIBLE PATHS WOULD MAKE THE WELCOME CENTER MORE READILY AVAILABLE AND PRESENTABLE TO ALL ATHENS VISITORS.

VEHICULAR CIRCULATION

1

2 3

THOMAS STREET

5

ET

6.

7.

8.

TRE

4.

5.

AWC

ERT YS

3.

4

GH

2.

PROPOSED RAMP CONNECTION TO EXISTING SIDEWALK FROM ACC PARKING LOT. PROPOSED CROSSWALK WITH PLANTED ISLANDS FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. MODIFIED EXISTING AWC PARKING LOT, INCREASED NUMBER OF ACCESSIBLE PARKING SPACES. PROPOSED CROSSWALK PROPOSED BUS BAY FOR LOADING OF CLASSIC CITY TOURS AND USE BY VISITORS WITH MOTORCOACH EXISTING DRIVEWAY APRON PROPOSED PARKING UTILIZING FEDERAL LOT (39 SPACES) PROPOSED DRIVEWAY APRON

DO U

1.

6

7

8

EXISTING FEDERAL LOT PARKING CONDITIONS THE EXISTING FEDERAL LOT HAS EMPTY SPACES ON A DAILY BASIS. ASSUMING ACC AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD REACH AN AGREEMENT, THE EXISTING LOT COULD BE RECONFIGURED TO NOT ONLY PROVIDE PARKING FOR THE WELCOME CENTER BUT ALSO STILL PROVIDE A SECURED PARKING AREA FOR THE FEDERAL BUILDING.

OFF SITE PARKING STRONG

*

AWC

STREET

AS AN OPTION TO CONSTRUCTING ON-SITE PARKING, THE FOLLOWING PARCELS IN BLUE DASHED LINES REPRESENT POTENTIAL LOCATIONS FOR STAFF, VOLUNTEER, VISITOR AND SPECIAL EVENT PARKING. SPECIFIC PARKING SPACES COULD BE REQUESTED FROM ATHENS CLARKE COUNTY (ACC) PARKING LOTS TO BE USED FOR AWC PURPOSES. THE FEDERAL PARCEL SOUTH OF THE AWC CONTAINS A LARGE PARKING LOT THAT COULD BE RECONFIGURED TO SATISFY THE PARKING NEEDS OF BOTH THE AWC AND THE FEDERAL BUILDING. LASTLY, FIRST AMERICAN BANK COULD PROVIDE PARKING FOR EVENTS SCHEDULED AFTER THEIR REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

2

1

3

4

12

RTY

STR

EET

1

HE UG DO

PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION

PROPOSED CROSSWALK EXISTING PARKING LOT TO BE RESURFACED WITH PERVIOUS BRICK PAVERS TO MATCH EXISTING DRIVE. LOT TO PROVIDE DEDICATED VOLUNTEER AND ACCESSIBLE PARKING. PARTERRE GARDEN PATHS RESURFACED WITH COMPACTED OCONEE PEA GRAVEL WITH MAIN AXIS PATH WIDENED TO 5’ PROPOSED ADA ACCESSIBLE PATH AREA REGRADED AND LAWN INSTALLED TO CREATE FLEXIBLE GATHERING SPACE ENHANCED ADA LIFT (OR NEW ADA RAMP ALTERNATE) BRICK PATIO AND GRAVEL PATHS RESURFACED WITH HAND-MOLDED BRICKS SET IN MORTAR. SHAPE OF CENTRAL PLANTING RECONFIGURED. PROPOSED DEDICATED TREE WALK PROPOSED CONNECTION TO BRICK COURTYARD. BARRIER FREE ACCESS ADA ACCESS FROM PROPOSED LOT. STABILIZATION OF GRAVEL PATHS AROUND AWC.

THOMAS STREET

1.

2.

6

10

7 5

9 8 11

EXISTING 1.

2.

PLANTED ISLAND TO PROVIDE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. CROSSWALK STRIPING

2 1

PROPOSED

DOUGHERTY ST CROSSWALK IMPROVEMENTS

CONNECTIVITY TO LOTS NEARBY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. A CROSSWALK ON DOUGHERTY STREET COULD ALLOW FOR LIMITED STAFF PARKING IN THE ACC PARKING LOT NORTHWEST OF THE AWC. ALL VISITORS PARKING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF DOUGHERTY WOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO WALK TO AN INTERSECTION TO REACH THE FRONT ENTRANCE.

A CROSSWALK FROM STRONG STREET TO THE WELCOME CENTER WOULD ALLOW FOR EVENT PARKING AT THE FIRST AMERICAN BANK, AS WELL AS SAFE ACCESS TO STRONG STREET ON-STREET PARKING SPACES. THIS IMAGE PROPOSES SOLAR CROSSWALK FLASHING SIGNS TO INFORM DRIVERS OF PEDESTRIANS.

PROPOSED

N THOMAS ST CROSSWALK IMPROVEMENTS

EXISTING

ACCESSIBLE PARKING IMPROVEMENTS

ACCESSIBLE PARKING IS PROPOSED TO BE RELOCATED CLOSER TO THE COMMUNITY ROOM. THIS CREATES A MORE DIRECT PATH TO THE REAR COURTYARD. ADJUSTING EXISTING VEGETATION TO ACCOMMODATE THE PROPOSED ADA RAMP WILL NOT BE AN ISSUE.

WIDER PATH

EXISTING

PROPOSED

PARTERRE GARDEN IMPROVEMENTS

ACCESSIBILITY TO PARTERRE GARDEN COULD BE IMPROVED BY STABILIZING GRAVELPAVING AND WIDNENING CERTAIN AREAS ALONG GARDEN PATHS.

PROPOSED LANDSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS

X

X

2

4 3

X 5

X

X

T

X

TREE

8.

9.

1

X

X

7

X

AWC

6

X S STREE THOMA

GHE RTY S

4.

5.

6.

7.

PROPOSED SIGNAGE WALL AND DECORATIVE PLANTINGS PROPOSED NATIVE PLANT MASSING. PROPOSED CROSSWALK WITH PLANTED ISLANDS FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. SCARLET OAKS TO BE PRUNED. BOXWOOD & HOLLY HEDGES TO BE PRUNED AND RESHAPED. REAR PLANTING BED RECONFIGURED TO OVAL. AREA REGRADED AND LAWN INSTALLED TO CREATE OUTDOOR EVENT SPACE PROPOSED DEDICATED TREE WALK. RED “X” DENOTES TREES TO BE REMOVED.

DOU

1.

2.

3.

8

T

X

LANDSCAPE ENHANCEMENTS EXISTING THE IMAGE DEPICTS THE IMPROVED VISIBILITY WITH THE REMOVAL OF ONLY TWO TREES THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY OBSCURING THE FRONT FACADE OF THE AWC.

PROPOSED