Public Input Meeting for Millwork District Community Space Design

Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to attend the public input work session from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Jule Operations and Training Center at 949 Kerper Blvd. A complimentary dinner will start at 5:30, with the program commencing soon after. The meeting will be facilitated by the City's consultant team led by Confluence. The work session will inform and engage participants while helping to plan for a vibrant community space.

This fall, the City and Confluence circulated an online visual preference survey to collect community input around the future for this space. Survey results are available at https://engage.thinkconfluence.com/historic-millwork-district

An open house to reveal results and preferences from the survey and work session will take place at the Merry Millwork Market on Dec. 5, 2025.

The original Historic Millwork District Master Plan adopted in 2009 called for a "multi-use, flexible plaza and park in the heart of the district" on a 0.64 acre (approx. 28,000 sq. ft.) area known as Foundry Square located at the corner of 10 St. and Elm St. In 2012, a temporary parking lot with 57 spaces was constructed to meet parking needs while the adjacent Intermodal Parking Facility was being built. That facility, which includes 292 spaces, was completed in 2015. Today, the Historic Millwork District offers a total of 517 public off-street parking spaces, distributed among the Intermodal Ramp and three surface lots, along with 164 metered on-street spaces. Just two blocks away, additional parking is available at the 471-space Central Avenue Ramp and 404 metered on-street spaces.

An updated version of the Historic Millwork District Master Plan was adopted in 2024. The update was facilitated by a 13-member steering committee consisting of business and property owners, residents, community leaders, and City staff. The committee worked with a consultant to engage the community and various stakeholders within and outside the district. Efforts included six focus group meetings and an online survey that garnered more than 600 responses. The updated plan identified the design and construction of a community space on the previously identified site as a priority project and top primary recommendation.