LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Contractors for Little Rock's downtown master plan are in town to hear from residents.
This is the first time we have heard from the public about what they want to see happen downtown.
The meeting happened at Mosaic Templars, and dozens of people came in to share their ideas.
Carlette Bruce attended, and she wished there would be more work along 9th Street to make it more appealing at all times of the day.
"There's not much activity here," Bruce said. "It's pretty much for daytime use, coming out to get some lunch at the Wendy's, Chick-fil-A, or something like that."
The plan will focus on improving six areas:
- Transportation
- Urban design
- Housing and Workforce
- Open space
- Land use
- Culture
"This is a huge moment for downtown," said Daniel Church, associate for Sasaki, the company hired to create the master plan. "It can lay the foundation for the next decade or two."
Church is also a native of Little Rock and said it was a warm and welcoming return.
This week, Sasaki associates walked around downtown to see what could be improved and provided suggestions.
They said there are opportunities to use the Arkansas River as an asset.
There's also interest in a downtown grocery store and a desire to increase the number of people living downtown.
"When you go to other downtowns and other cities, there are a lot more people living downtown," Little Rock Downtown Partnership Executive Director Gabe Holmstrom said. "We want a plan to deliver that to this city."
The process to create the master plan will take nine months. Once the plan is finished, recommendations will be brought before the City of Little Rock.