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Homerville RSVP Top Issues
Input from hundreds of Homerville residents in step one of the RSVP process indicated that two issues rose above all others in the minds of local citizens. While expressed in many different ways, most residents cited two main priorities for downtown: improving “the look” of the city’s streets, buildings, and public spaces, and attracting “more to do” downtown in the form of restaurants, shops, and community destinations.
Homerville Top Issues:
Improve the Appearance of the Downtown Streetscape and Buildings
Activity and Events | “More to Do”
Activity, Events, Shops, and Restaurants
The Look
In 1900, Mark Twain said of cities, “We take stock of a city like we take stock of a man. The clothes and appearance are the externals by which we judge.” This statement still rings true today. In step one of the Homerville RSVP, local residents praised Homerville’s strong community, loving neighbors and friends, strong traditions, beloved events, historical buildings, and more. Homerville residents want streets, buildings, and public spaces that reflect the strong sense of community evident throughout Homerville. A downtown’s buildings, streets, sidewalks, and public spaces provide a first impression of the community for visitors and residents. Ensuring that these elements are maintained and cared for sends the signal that the community values its residents. Elements of improving the look of downtown and steps to address the appearance of the area include the following:
Streetscape Cleanup and Beautification:
• Pick up trash and litter, sweep the streets, and maintain existing landscaped areas. • Plant appropriate trees along streets and gateways to provide shade and beautify downtown. • Install and remove holiday decorations in a timely fashion. • Stop cutting and excessively pruning existing crape myrtles downtown. • Work to plant existing medians with Natchez crape myrtles.
Short-Term: Building Beautification
• Improve maintenance of public buildings including the Homerville Municipal Complex. • Stop issuing demolition permits. • Stabilize and preserve existing downtown buildings. • Paint murals that celebrate the things that make Homerville special.
Long-Term: Streetscape Improvements
• Install traffic-calming measures like landscaped bumpouts to improve downtown walkability. • Plant more shade trees throughout the public realm, including city- and county-owned property, along roadways, in medians, and in parking lots. • Extend sidewalks throughout downtown and increase sidewalk width where possible. • Clearly stripe existing parking spaces. Convert parallel to angled parking where feasible. • Include clearly striped crosswalks at all intersections. • Incorporate attractive lighting and benches throughout downtown.
Address: Building Condition and Vacancy
• Improve the level of maintenance at all public buildings. • Ensure adequate maintenance of the Homerville Municipal Complex, the Clinch County Public Library, the Clinch County Board of Education, public schools, the Homerville Fire Department, Homerville Station, and the downtown gazebo. • Continue developing incentives to encourage growth and redevelopment. • Consider enacting a vacancy registration program. • Consider enacting a minimum building maintenance standard and using code enforcement to ensure downtown building codes are being applied. • Encourage appropriate infill buildings.
Activity & Events
In addition to many comments regarding the appearance of downtown, residents overwhelmingly favor more activity and variety downtown. Locals cherish regular events like Homerville for the Holidays that bring the community together downtown. Many residents would favor expanding downtown events and reintroducing events like the Timberland Jubilee.
While such events draw locals downtown for special occasions, community members favor increasing the variety of daily shopping, dining, and entertainment options downtown. Working to attract an enhanced diversity of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment could create more anchors of regular activity. Many residents expressed the need for businesses that cater to the city’s families and youth in particular. In public input sessions at Clinch County High School, students offered many recommendations for the types of businesses that could cater to younger residents. These suggestions included modestly priced and attainable options like a Mexican restaurant, locations for live music, community theater space, or a coffee shop.
Expand Activates and Events:
Community members enjoy trick-or-treating at the hospital, the homecoming parade, Friday night football, and Homerville for the Holidays. Residents would like to see additional family-friendly events celebrating the elements that make Homerville special. Pop-up markets tied to the local community could be included in conjunction with events. Expanded events could be sponsored or managed by community groups or local industry.
Possible Events and Activities to Consider
• Reestablish Timberland Jubilee • First Friday or Second Saturday events with live music, food, beer, and wine • Movie nights, community theater, or other programming at the theater space at Homerville Municipal Complex • Create a train-viewing area with rocking chairs and train information broadcast at the depot • Downtown cruise-ins or car shows • Post-game Panther Nation events • Prom photo backdrops at Empire Plaza or a seasonal selfie space with props and backgrounds • Agriculture shows and fairs • A barbeque, chili, or similar cook-off
HOMERVILLE RESIDENT “I’d like the younger generation to have something to do like when the old downtown shops were open and kids would flock to places downtown after school.”
Expand Variety of Downtown Businesses:
Through tools like façade grants, the Homerville Downtown Development Authority (DDA) continues to attract more restaurants and shops downtown. The city could consider specialized, targeted incentives to grow desired businesses like restaurants. Reaching out to owners of ideal businesses in other communities could also assist city leaders with recruiting the types of amenities desired by residents. The city and DDA should continue to integrate products that are locally-produced in the Homerville area to celebrate local character and create authentic experiences for visitors.
Homerville Masterplan
Created as part of the Homerville RSVP process, the designs that follow attempt to address the top issues raised by local residents during step one. These design concepts illustrate the consensus community vision derived from the conversations and survey responses of hundreds of local citizens. Through façade renderings, streetscape designs, and landscape improvements, these concepts help to bring Homerville’s vision to life: a clean, vibrant, attractive community hub for everyone. While a particular design may show a building occupied by one tenant or another, unless requested by property owners, this plan does not prescribe specific uses for commercial buildings. Rather than advocating for one particular business over another, renderings that show new tenants, signage, and more are intended to help residents visualize activity in downtown buildings.
The concepts that follow are generally arranged in order of how a visitor would approach and travel through downtown. Beginning on the outskirts of town, near the US-84 gateway, these designs proceed eastward along Plant Avenue and then west along Dame Avenue. The final concepts show designs along Church Street (US-441).
Unfold for Master Plan
While addressing the top issues raised by community members in step one of the RSVP, the downtown master plan (right) was produced to help guide local leaders and inform future design concepts prepared for the community. This master plan addresses the heart of Homerville’s historic core, from the crossroads of US-441 and US-84 to the roads and streets radiating from it.
During interviews and focus groups, dozens of residents noted how much they admired the historic tree canopy and heritage oaks scattered around downtown. This plan helps extend that tree canopy and creates a legacy for future generations. The masterplan for downtown Homerville adds dozens of new large-canopy oak and small-canopy ornamental trees to key downtown corridors. In total, this plan includes 82 large-canopy oak street trees, 35 medium-canopy trees like Chinese elm, and 71 small-canopy street trees like Natchez crape myrtle.
While maintaining the existing one-way pairs of US-84, this concept formalizes existing parallel parking while adding new on-street parking areas with bump-outs and street trees at the Clinch County Courthouse, along Smith Street at the Courthouse Square; on East Dame at the former Blitch Ford lot; and near the depot along South Plant Avenue. This plan includes new pedestrianfriendly event spaces, such as the rear parking area behind Church Street businesses and the proposed Panther Alley on Carswell Street.
Homerville Masterplan
