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Politics & Government

Downtown Master Plan: (5) First/State/River Opportunity Site

A downtown parking deck, a commercial building fronting State Street and new uses for the present City Hall and Library are part of this opportunity site.

Editor's Note: On June 27, the city of Geneva held a meeting to unveil the first draft of its . The plan identifies seven site opportunities for development. This series spotlights each opportunity site and says what present structures would be replaced.

 

Development Concept Overview

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The development concept for this opportunity site focuses on three primary objectives: 1) balancing the opportunity for use/reuse of existing government facilities; 2) providing strategically located structured parking; and 3) development of new commercial/mixed-use structures. The challenge of addressing these three components is doing so in a sensitive manner, within the context of the existing uses and development.

What's There Now

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The City Government buildings are in part of this location now, including City Hall, the Police Station, a parking lot and the Geneva Library. There are some older retail buildings on James Street. At Hamilton Street and River Lane, there is a large parking lot behind existing commercial properties. 

Existing Government Facilities

This area is home to City Hall, Police Station, Finance Division and Geneva Library. Some of these facilities, including City Hall and Library, represent opportunities for adaptive reuse of structures, as uses within these building are likely to see some movement over the next decade. The library is already working toward relocation of the library into a new facility at State and Seventh, and the City has already determined that the existing City Hall building is too small to meet the City’s needs. As the government uses within these buildings relocate, the building themselves should remain and be used to accommodate appropriate uses such as office or other public uses (the City Hall could possibly relocate into the library building).

Structured Parking

Two possible locations for structured parking are recommended as part of this concept. The first location is south of State Street along River Lane on the site of the existing surface lot behind the police station, and the second location is north of State Street at the southwest corner of Hamilton Street and River Lane. The structure behind the police station could tuck in nicely behind the police station and the shops on State Street and provide essential parking for shoppers, hotel guests, and government employees (in case the existing City Hall parking lot is developed). The structure north of State Street at Hamilton Street and River Lane could accommodate the parking needs of shoppers and area employees.

Infill Opportunities

There are three primary sites for new development (other than structured parking) within this opportunity concept. First, the site of the existing surface parking lots, including the City Hall parking, along State Street and the corner of First Street. This surface parking area could be redeveloped for a commercial/mixed-use building if parking could be provided in a nearby structure in sufficient numbers to accommodate development of this site as well as provide parking for adjacent uses that relied on the surface parking. Second, the east frontage along First Street between James and State Street could be developed with commercial uses. Third, the site at the corner of Hamilton Street and First Street could be developed for commercial mixed-use with commercial/retail on the ground floor and residential or office units above and the proposed parking structure on River Lane and Hamilton could have commercial uses on the ground floor. Collectively, the new infill development identified in this concept would fit in with the established character of the area, take advantage of currently underutilized sites, and integrate well into any new parking structures envisioned for the area.

 

SOURCE: City of Geneva Downtown/Station Area Master Plan prepared by Houseal Lavigne Associates

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