DESIGN CONCEPTS

There are a variety of restaurants and shopping opportunities within the historic downtown square, with event space at Moon Family Theater and one-of-a-kind experiences at Swamp Fox Distilling Company. Additionally, the city contains multiple civic spaces for community resources. To improve the heart of the community and encourage economic development in the city, Buena Vista's elected and community leaders see improving the downtown square as a top priority.

Working with Downtown Renaissance Fellow Franco Conocchiari-Scherer and design professionals from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, community leaders outlined local priorities including improved streetscaping, developing a more accessible community park, and assisting downtown business owners with façade renovations. Downtown streets currently emphasize vehicular travel and present opportunities to improve safety by expanding sidewalks, adding safe pedestrian crossings, and making other accessibility improvements to help establish a more walkable and attractive downtown. The desire to concentrate development close to the city center could be addressed by working to create a more central community park. Many commercial properties could benefit from beautification and updating around the courthouse square to boost tourism and encourage economic growth. While the town of Buena Vista looks ahead to grow the local economy, they have not forgotten to look down. A community’s streets and sidewalks help make the first impression of the community for visitors and residents. Buena Vista is known for being the commercial center for Marion County and the meeting point of multiple state highway routes. Commercial vehicles and through-traffic visitors are continually routed through the heart of downtown, creating a consistent supply of potential business patrons. This traffic volume also comes with challenges including heavy truck traffic, dangerous speeding, and unsafe pedestrian crossing areas. Citizens see these conditions as issues that must be addressed to grow downtown, support local businesses, and create the active local destination desired by residents. The following designs focus on encouraging safer vehicular speeds, creating accessible pedestrian walkways and destinations, and improving downtown commercial streets through more efficient on-street parking. The plan for downtown Buena Vista extends attractive streetscaping elements throughout the area. Expanded sidewalks throughout the historic square area improve pedestrian safety and could encourage additional outdoor seating and other uses. Large-canopy street trees shown throughout the plan bring much-needed shade and enhance downtown’s appearance. Formalized on-street parking throughout the square ensures easy accessibility for business patrons.