Downtown Feasibility Study Catalyst Roundtable Summary Themes Town Board Work Session March 22, 2016

Roundtable Discussions 7 sessions with 277 citizens Captured all viewpoints Objective to solicit feedback Recognize that there are comments both pro/con by category Findings are summary themes from the majority of attendees by category

Roundtable Discussions Site = Catalyst (3.5 acres of town-owned land) Downtown = larger area Comments in red = majority Comments in blue = split Hard to quantify descriptive adjectives such as some, small, large, etc.

The majority of the attendees at the roundtable discussions:

PARKING Felt that the current parking downtown is not adequate. Would support providing more parking. Want a parking deck that is visually appealing if a parking deck is built. Want alternative transportation options (trolley). Would like to provide parking for growth.

PUBLIC SAFETY Felt that providing for Public Safety should be the Town’s top priority. Felt that the Fire Department did not need to be located downtown. It should be located where it makes sense to serve citizens. Felt that the Police Department did not need to be located downtown. It should be located where it makes sense to serve citizens.

PUBLIC SAFETY Felt that the Police Department should be located downtown with Town Administration.

RESIDENTIAL Want some residential units downtown. The current renderings show too much. Believed that scale and architecture are important. Want for sale units. Want rental units.

HOTEL Do not want a large hotel downtown. Do not want a chain hotel downtown. Would support a small, boutique hotel.

COMMERCIAL SPACE Do not want national chain retailers. Prefer stores such as Mast General Store. Want small, unique, independent retailers. Do not want Birkdale. Would like to see cultural offerings (art, theater). Would like office space on upper floors, not on the first floor.

PUBLIC SPACE Want public, open, green space. Like the organic, open feel of the Farmer’s Market. Felt that permanent covered space was only needed for storage, not the entire market. Want the Farmer’s Market space to be available for other events during the rest of the time.

TOWN ADMINISTRATION Felt it was important that a civic presence remained downtown. Felt that the town should own Town Hall.

CATALYST SITE Reaction to current site renderings: Believed it is too dense. Felt that the scale is too big. Want less development. Do not want Birkdale.

GENERAL COMMENTS The majority of the attendees at the roundtable discussions: Are concerned about traffic/congestion. Need more information (financial, trade-offs, options). Want to see a phased approach. Feel the need to do something on this site to address needs.