Charlotte, N.C. (July 21, 2016) — The city of Charlotte has contracted with Woolpert on two projects to improve the connectivity, safety and aesthetics of Prosperity Village, as part of the city’s Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP).
The first project will address the upgrade of DeArmon Road, a 0.9-mile “farm-to-market” connector between Browne and Benfield roads. DeArmon will be converted from a narrow, variable road section into a complete street, including two travel lanes, a center median, bike lanes, planter strips, landscaping, lighting and sidewalks.
The proposed complete street section is designed to improve vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian connections between Browne and Benfield roads. Additionally, the project will include a greenway crossing underneath the road for the future Clark’s Creek greenway.
“The public has expressed great interest in the future extension of the Clark’s Creek greenway north to DeArmon Road, with a pedestrian and bicycle connection into the Prosperity Village’s core activity center,” said Paul Smith, Woolpert project manager.
Woolpert also was contracted to provide planning through conceptual design services for the Craven Thomas Robert Helms Streetscape project, which is intended to provide aesthetic improvements to Prosperity Village’s core area and encourage residents to walk and bike between the north and south activity centers.
The streetscape project includes the area between Craven Thomas Road and Robert Helms Road, from Benfield to Prosperity Ridge Road, and contains three cross streets bridging Interstate 485 and six roundabouts.
It is located at the heart of the city’s Prosperity Hucks Area Plan, which city leaders have adopted to shape the character and provide for a village-like development pattern for the future of the Prosperity Village core.
“This project is a great opportunity to give Prosperity Village a true sense of place, whether you are exiting the interstate or crossing the interstate from the north village to the south village,” Smith said. “The project could potentially include monuments, gathering areas, landscape, lighting and public art.”
The project team will develop a community engagement strategy and hold multiple community meetings. The city and the Arts & Science Council have said they both support the idea of the addition of public art to the project.
“We would like this project to help instill a sense of community identity and pride for the residents in Prosperity Village,” Smith said.
Woolpert plans to begin work on these projects Aug. 1.
About Woolpert
Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. With a dynamic R&D department, Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. Woolpert’s mission is to help its clients progress—and become more progressive. For over 100 years and with 24 offices across the United States, Woolpert serves the needs of federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces. For more information, visit woolpert.com or call 937-531-1258.