Downtown Development Drafts Unveiled

Its been an intense week in Owensboro as people there assessed the future of their waterfront. An urban planning firm has been working around the clock with community members to draw up plans for a complete overhaul of what theyre calling Owensboros living room. Some highlights of the presentation include plans for a convention center, a hotel, a farmers market and an outdoor multipurpose arena. People had been eyeing the Executive Inn property for that, but gateway also came up with a scenario leaving those 17 acres open to commercial development and instead plopping those civic buildings downtown next to the courthouse. Many of the plans gateway presented involve renovation or replacement of existing buildings. The plans are only suggestive so the public can see what a well planned downtown could look like. This week was the first time the planning firm and the community interacted, but the firm has been visiting and researching the city since february. There will be another meeting November 15th to present finalized plans. That will happen in Kentucky Wesleyan Colleges gym.