Tecumseh seeks input on Evans Street corridor plan

TECUMSEH — Public input is being sought on planning efforts to revamp Tecumseh's Evans Street corridor, particularly to address increasing issues with its workforce housing shortage.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to discuss the corridor’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities at the Evans Street Corridor Plan Workshop at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, at city hall, 309 E. Chicago Blvd.

The city has been in the process of updating its master plan for the work along the Evans Street corridor. This corridor, from Bidwell Street to Russell Road, intersects downtown Tecumseh.

“It is critical in providing connectivity throughout the community as well as providing opportunities for future development,” Tecumseh City Manager Dan Swallow said in a news release. “We want this plan to reflect the goals and visions of Tecumseh residents.”

Focus areas include new workforce housing, the Hamblin parking lot on North Evans Street and the former Tecumseh Products Co. site on South Evans Street.

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The city is working with developers to create more workforce housing in the community.

“Locating new housing on a corridor like Evans Street that connects to the downtown and nearby services is an attractive option,” Swallow said in the release. “The State of Michigan has also expanded some of its housing programs and incentives in recognition of this growing problem. Having a more focused plan for housing in this area would help the city secure funding and attract developers.”

The Hamblin parking lot is across the street from the farmers market. There has been a push for the city and the downtown development authority to pave the lot for additional parking. However, there also are ideas for developing new mixed-use buildings along its frontage and acquiring property behind it for parking, the release said.

Since the proposed Project Phoenix at the former Products site was shelved, there has been growing interest in what will happen with the site on South Evans Street.

There have been a few redevelopment proposals for the site, but none of them have been able to take root due to factors including financial gaps and a lack of community support. In its corridor planning work, the city will attempt to gain more consensus around a preferred redevelopment plan.

While the core of downtown Tecumseh and properties fronting Chicago Boulevard have thrived, the commercial areas on the edge of downtown and on the north and south sides of Evans Street have struggled.

Previously, the city completed localized planning efforts and made investments in areas along Evans Street, but there is not a cohesive plan that looks at the corridor as a whole.

The goal of the Evans Street corridor plan is to generate a strategy to connect the north and south sides of Evans Steet with downtown Tecumseh, other commercial nodes along the corridor and adjacent neighborhoods, the release said.

The city is working with the Northville-based planning firm McKenna Associates to facilitate the planning effort for the Evans Street corridor.

This effort will include focus group meetings with existing property owners and businesses, interviews with key stakeholders along the corridor, resident surveys and Wednesday’s workshop to help the city understand how the community would like to see Evans Street corridor develop and to gather ideas to help the area prosper.

An online survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/2QGK9J2. A paper survey that can be printed and returned to city hall by Sept. 29 can be downloaded here: tinyurl.com/EvansStSurvey.

The city and representatives from McKenna will take the feedback they receive at Wednesday’s workshop, interviews and surveys to draft an update to the city’s master plan. The master plan serves as the city’s guide when considering where to expend financial resources as well as make changes in zoning and development rules to encourage development.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh seeks input on Evans Street corridor plan