AG 2004 04 19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Summary and Results of the Justice Facilities Open House/Drop-in Session The Open House on March 9t~ was very successful. We had approximately fif~-y attendees, though not all signed-in or filled out comment cards. Of the respondents that did complete a comment card, the following are the results of those individuals who chose one site. Site 1:19 Church St SE, parking lot next to South Trust Bank- 12.5% Site 2: Parking lot off of Market, Corban, and Barbrick - 5% Site 3: Properties off of Means Avenue including the Sheriff's parking lot and the What-A-Burger site- 5% Site 4: Parking lot off of Corban Avenue expanding onto the Red Pig restaurant (and possibly to the comer of Union Street and Corban Avenue- 77.5% There were two who gave feedback but who did not vote and one who gave a combined vote for sites 3 and 4. These three were not included in the percentages given above. *Note: This site was present in two ways at the open house; one as "4A", which showed the jail and law enforcement on the Corban Avenue parking lot, expanding to Union Street. The existing jail would be destroyed to allow for the courthouse to expand. The second as "4B", which shows but the jail/law enforcement and courthouse on this same site. The existing courthouse and jail would both be razed and an open space/city park would be located around the historic courthouse. Several of the responders took the time to give specific input that the Commissioners may find informative: 1. "Need to move quickly." 2. "Excellent site for central government 'square'." 3. "Would hate to lose the Tribune Building!" 4. "I like the Red Pig Plan...could allow for future Court use of existing (courts) as a civil court where prisoner transport is needed." 5. "Should probably build a parking deck in the lot beside Southtmst." 6. "Parking should be addressed for courthouse employees." 7. "Best use of space; like the idea of keeping the courthouse in the same location. Need to consider a parking deck!" 8. "Great plan! I commend the Commissioners for seeking public input. I am impressed with the architects that were chosen and particularly that Pete Cayado, a Concord native, was chosen to assist on this project. This will be a boost for Downtown!" 9. "This site (Site 4) offers the most options. Design will be important to maintain the feel of a historic town... Red Pig is an important asset to Concord...Tribune Building is desirable as a historic memory of Downtown. Thanks to the architects for the great options." 10. "This (Site 4) will allow it to stay with the existing courthouse & will allow more room for expansion in the future." 11. "Corban Avenue site is by far the best...any new structure should incorporate (the) Red Pig...height of building(s) is/should not be a concern as long as (the) design is appropriate. Street-level retail/restaurant/office space should be included regardless of site selected." 12. "This (Site 4) is the most usable plan provided. However, if you think 50-100 year out, the ideal site would be the old fairgrounds...plenty of room with expansion room...The City of Concord could provide a trolley system to open up the Cabarrus Avenue corridor. This would provide an incentive for commercial development along the corridor, which would provide future tax base. Also the County already owns the property, which would reduce costs." 13. "When trying to preserve the downtown area, why take existing businesses? It is hard enough to keep a downtown going strong. Surely there are ways to accommodate the jail and courthouse needs without putting small businesses out."