Downtown Master Plan Charrette starts Monday!

The Downtown Morganton Master Plan Charrette Week starts Monday, May 15, and residents and visitors will have plenty of opportunities to give their input to help shape the future of Downtown Morganton.

The Charrette runs Monday May 15 to Friday, May 19, at the Katz Building located at 116 W. Union Street.

Monday night, Stantec, the consultants leading the master plan, and City staff will kick off the Charrette with a Public Workshop located in the upstairs of the Historic Burke County Courthouse, in the heart of downtown.

Wednesday afternoon, Toole Design Group and The Landplan Group South, the consultants working on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, will join Stantec at the Katz Building to gather information for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. That night, Catawba Brewing Company will host another Morganton On Tap from 5:30-7:30 pm where attendees can participate in an “Open Mic” dialogue about the plan.

Tuesday and Thursday evening, Stantec will host “pin-up” sessions at the Katz Building where Stantec staff will display the work completed those days for review. Friday, Stantec will close out the Charrette at noon.

Staff will be on site at the Katz Building most of the week for the public to drop by, share their ideas for downtown, and get updates on the planning process. See the schedule below for more details.

“We’re looking forward to next week and to getting more input from the public, residents, visitors, and downtown businesses,” Main Street Director Sharon Jablonski said. “This plan will guide downtown for the next 15 to 20 years, and we want to make sure it reflects the vision of our community.”

Stay up-to-date with the Downtown Master Plan process.

“Please make this a priority and drop by, share your thoughts and ideas, and learn more about the plan,” Jablonski said.

A “charrette” is an intense period of design or planning activity open to the public to create a continuous feedback loop. A successful charrette will promote joint ownership of solutions, and achieve community involvement, shape expectations, and build partnerships. Charrettes tend to involve small groups and those citizens who do participate get early input into the planning process. 

See what else is happening in Downtown Morganton at www.downtownmorganton.com.

This article was updated 5/12/2017 to reflect changes to the Charrette Week Calendar below.