When you're the mayor you constantly look for opportunities to bring new benefits to the city. This is why I'm excited to share with you the conceptual plan for revitalizing our beloved City Square. Jennings Plaza, the City Square, is already a hub for some of Charlestown's most popular events and gatherings. From our summertime pop-up markets and festivals to our annual holiday animated light show there's no shortage of opportunity to visit with each other and share the hometown spirit of our community.
Over the decades the city square has evolved and changed appearance several times. Businesses have come and gone and some have been in place for many years. One particular challenge we've faced is the old green-roofed building right at the center of Short Street (some remember it as the YMCA, others as the pool hall). As I looked out my office window every day, I realized it was time for us to take action and do something special with that space.
In 2024 I approached the Redevelopment Commission and asked them to investigate acquiring that building and to entertain the idea of a renovation of our City Square. After several months of due diligence the Commission successfully acquired the building and now we have a conceptual design of what can happen with the space after the building is removed in the next month.
At the January 2025 Redevelopment Commission meeting, Amy Williams, a consultant from Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group, presented the completed initial concept and I'm happy to share it with you here. This initial concept was informed by community feedback over the years. The existing building will be replaced by a large community event lawn with a permanent stage - a wonderful new site for our community festivals and music events. We also intend to construct a two-story building in the style of a traditional downtown structure that will hopefully offer a home to commercial space and a restaurant.
Your feedback is vital to the success of our update. I'd love to hear your thoughts at this early stage and you can be assured that when we move into the formal design phase you'll have additional opportunities to share your opinions and ideas. I invite you to look over the full presentation that was made to the Redevelopment Commission and let me know what you think.
We're doing big things, Charlestown!
Let's keep the energy going.
Click here to view the full presentation document:
Click here to read an article about the project: News & Tribune
Click here to watch the full January meeting of the Redevelopment Commission: Charlestown Redevelopment Commission Meeting