HILO, Hawaii – The public got a glimpse of a possible future look for Downtown Hilo last week.
A Public Review Draft of the Downtown Hilo Multimodal Master Plan (DHMMP) was presented to residents and business owners on February 15 at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center. An open house display was set up on the first floor of the building while a presentation was given upstairs.
Project consultants were eager to share renderings found in the draft plan depicting a bustling – and refurbished – downtown area. In the DHMMP, alternatives and final recommendations for six multimodal transportation components were developed and refined with extensive input from the community and key stakeholders: 1) circulation patterns; 2) pedestrian improvements; 3) bicycle facilities; 4) parking; 5) transit; and 6) streetscape design. The DHMMP includes phasing recommendations for implementing the proposed improvements.
According to planners:
The Downtown Hilo Multimodal Master Plan (DHMMP) has its roots in EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025: A Community-Based Vision and Living Action Plan, which set a community-defined and shared vision for Downtown Hilo as a vibrant, sustainable, safe, healthy, and active community. Action item number 6.1 of the EnVision 2025 Plan is: “development of a master plan to include traffic circulation, parking, and pedestrian streetscape.” The County of Hawaii Planning Department initiated the DHMMP to fulfill this action item and craft a plan that can be implemented to achieve the community’s shared goals.
The Downtown Hilo Multimodal Master Plan was developed over a two-year period and refined through more than 15 community events, from focus groups with Downtown users, landowners, and businesses to a community event that included activities and demonstrations of complete streets concepts. Input indicated strong support for making Downtown Hilo more walkable, bike friendly, and vibrant for people of all ages and abilities.
The entire draft plan can be found on the DHMMP website. The public review period runs through March 6, 2017
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STORY SUMMARY
HILO (BIVN) - The public review period for the draft Downtown Hilo Multimodal Master Plan was given a big kick-off last week with this well-attended presentation.