City officials are looking forward to when Lachenauer Plaza will be a nicer — and safer — place to gather after the downtown urban park reopens this summer.
The plaza is undergoing a major facelift as part of the city’s $3.85 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative streetscape project.
Lachenauer Plaza — a little-used public meeting space at the conjunction of Arsenal, Court and Arcade streets with Public Square — had just one entry way and was dominated by overgrown shrubs.
People may have felt unsafe because the shrubs prevented them from seeing into and out of the urban park.
But the plaza is becoming more open by removing the overgrown bushes and replacing them with small trees. It’ll have a more inviting appearance, city planner Geoffrey T. Urda said.
“It’s going to be much more visible,” he said, “with a 360-degree view in the park and out.”
The new Lachenauer Plaza incorporates a semicircular wall with benches, a grassy area, improved lighting and expanded pedestrian space along Arcade Street.
Some uninviting black pavement along Arcade Street will be replaced with pavers with the same kind of look as the crosswalks in Public Square. That section of Arcade Street will be shared by vehicles and pedestrians, Mr. Urda said.
“With all these changes being done, we hope people use it,” he said.
The redo of Lachenauer plaza is costing $600,000. CCI Companies Inc., Canastota, is the general contractor on the plaza and downtown streetscape project.
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