Downtown Masterplan

A senior student in the Landscape Architecture program at NCA&T has offered to work on a downtown masterplan in fulfillment of his senior project requirement. He and his class adviser plan to attend the February 13 meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Committee in order to gather information and discuss ideas. This is a great opportunity for the student to get some hands-on experience on a real world project and for the Town to obtain a useful planning document at no expense to the taxpayers.

Greenway/Rail-Trail planning process has started

The Town has obtained a grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund to begin the planning process for a greenway along the Deep River in Ramseur. There are many contingencies to implementing this walking/biking trail on the former rail bed from downtown Ramseur to the Hwy 64 bridge (funding, willing property owners, etc.), but the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments began GIS mapping this week of the proposed route. This is a big step from concept toward reality, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the plan come together. Upon completion of the plan the Town will have detailed mapping of the proposed route, proposed landscaping plan, early strategies for implementation, and perhaps even some initial agreements with property owners for acquisition of property or easements. This should be a great tool to obtain additional future funding for plan implementation.

Getting started

By way of introduction, Ramseur is a town of roughly 1,700 located in central North Carolina. Downtown Ramseur was once a thriving location and truly the heart of the community. Over time many of the businesses either closed down or moved up the highway. Although downtown is by no means dead, the Downtown Revitalization Committee is seeking to facilitate new and diverse activities that will encourage the population to once more view downtown Ramseur as the heart of our community. The Committee meets monthly on the second Friday at noon. Over the past several years since the creation of the Committee, we have seen slow and steady progress. For example, the Committee has encouraged interest in a potential greenway/rail trail along the beautiful Deep River which runs through the center of Town. The Town has obtained a planning mini-grant from CWMTF to develop mapping and other elements of the trail. The planning process has been contracted and should begin shortly. In addition, the Committee has coordinated with downtown property owners to offer a safe Halloween experience for local children, and has established an annual Christmas tree lighting event around the Community Christmas tree at the south end of Main Street. The purpose of this blog is a simple attempt to provide an ongoing commentary on the efforts (hopefully successful) of the Committee.