Farmers Weekly Review

By Stephanie Irvine

Manhattan residents who haven’t yet weighed in on myriad architectural design options offered for downtown redevelopment have until noon Friday, Feb. 28, to do so by visiting
https://villageofmanhattan.org/government/downtown_master_plan.php.

Village officials are working with The Farnsworth Group on design options for the downtown, as well as designs that can alleviate the stress from truck traffic along U.S. 52.

“The village received a federal grant to study the safety on Route 52 with the trucks, to reduce truck traffic and do what’s called traffic calming,” said Ken Chastain, The Farnsworth Group’s Director of Municipal Services, and a Manhattan resident.

“So, we’re going to study some ideas to slow the traffic down, create a more pedestrian-friendly area, and then go to IDOT and say, will you help us do these things to make it safer so people want to come downtown.

“The mayor said we really want to draw attention downtown and see our downtown thrive, so what can we do to create a plan?”

Chastain explained the intent is to provide some next steps for implementing that plan, so any guidelines implemented keep the historic aesthetic and align with what residents want to see.

Valuing input

Village officials and Farnsworth received input from about 35 residents and stakeholders at a recent design input event, which showcased various architectural design options that could be implemented into future downtown design guidelines.

“The idea here is that these guidelines will help inform any repairs, future development. This will help you. They’re all asks — they’re not mandates, they’re not ordinances, not rules. It’s just a way to say these are things we’d like you to consider,” said John Stryker, Farnsworth Group’s Senior Architectural Manager.

“If you’re going to replace your siding, maybe this would help you inform your color selection or type. No one is obligated to do that, but the other side is that the Village is looking to incentivize people so they may be able to offset the cost of some of those repairs or replacements if it’s within the guidelines,” Stryker explained.

Posterboards were spread throughout a room in the Manhattan Township offices, offering residents a glimpse at styles of awnings, murals, window casings, building facades, building heights and more.

Comments were encouraged through Post-it notes and sticker dots. Pink stickers indicated that a person hated the option, green stickers indicated they loved it, and yellow indicated they felt neutral.

Emilie Harvey attended with her young daughter, Eleanor. Harvey said she learned about the event through a post on Facebook and was happy the village was doing it. She had hoped more people knew about it, but added, “At the same time, the onus is on the resident to stay informed.

“I think it’s exciting to potentially have more of a quaint, historic feel to our downtown. Right now, it’s kind of disjointed with newer strip malls. I love how downtown Frankfort is and how it is still charming, and they honor the history of the buildings, keeping that feeling.

“I’d love if they could achieve that here,” Harvey said as she looked over the poster boards presented.

Not holding back

Residents filed in and out of the township building, reviewing the design options and assigning stickers according to their preference. Residents weren’t shy, either: One note proclaimed, “Building murals are very ugly.”

Getting resident input was important to everyone; not just officials, but residents themselves.

“I think it’s great that we’re being allowed input as to our future, rather than just somebody coming in and making a decision and not asking us who live here, pay taxes here, and raise our families here,” Manhattan resident Susan Hausser stated.

She attended with her husband, Larry, who added, “And you have to hope that the input is acted upon then, if the majority of the citizens here like something or don’t like something that they go along with the wishes of us that see it every day.”

Manhattan resident Holly Barajas, also a co-owner of Manhattan’s coffee shop, Peaceful Grounds Coffee Company, attended the evening session.

Like the Haussers, Barajas expressed satisfaction with the village offering the community the chance to provide input.

“I feel like you see that all the time where they don’t (heed residents’ opinions), and it’s important to give the community a chance to provide input,” Barajas said.

“I’m really interested to see what design is going to come to fruition. I like that they show a lot of things with windows, and I think that letting natural light in is a really good idea.”

Asked what she wouldn’t like to see adopted, Barajas said, “I don’t like too many colors; I’d hate to see it clash together. If you wanted to do multiple colors, narrow it down to ones that complement each other.”

“I like that we get to have some input on what could potentially be going in with the new buildings. I’m excited to be able to participate in it,” Manhattan resident Claire Clifford said.

Her husband, John Clifford said he was surprised when his wife let him know about the open house. “She was like, ‘Look, they’re actually looking for input. I didn’t know we were going to have this much input on something like this.’”

“There was one storefront that stood out to me,” Claire Clifford said. “I thought it looked really nice, really fresh, but also timeless. I liked the ornate details on it. I think it could really spruce up the downtown area.”

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.

Manhattan Township Highway Commissioner Jim Baltas talks with Manhattan residents Susan and Larry Hausser at a recent open house held to solicit input from residents and stakeholders on the village’s downtown redesign. (Photos by Stephanie Irvine)

Peaceful Grounds business owner and resident Holly Barajas talks with the Farnsworth Group’s Ken Chastain.