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The Tonganoxie Downtown Regulating Plan articulates the community’s vision for downtown’s next chapter and translates that vision into immediately actionable strategies.
The new plan focuses on celebrating downtown's identity, reinvesting in public spaces to elevate downtown as a local and regional destination, and promoting opportunities for redevelopment to revitalize and strengthen the area.
Before working with Multistudio, the Tonganoxie community was facing regulatory barriers to reinvestment, development, and activation downtown.
The city’s existing code lacked standards to ensure new infill and development would enhance the district’s identity. Simultaneously, the community was eager for pedestrian-focused street design improvements and a greater emphasis on shared public spaces.
The newly adopted Downtown Regulating Plan keeps implementation at the forefront by integrating public space design concepts with targeted code updates that enable permit-ready development and a block-by-block regulating plan to guide future investment. It leads with quick-build strategies that can immediately demonstrate positive growth while some of the more long-term initiatives take seed.
Engagement workshops with the local business and community members taught us that residents wanted to see a vibrant, safe, and connected network of streetscapes, social spaces, and welcoming gateways into downtown. They set a vision that emphasizes pedestrian safety and regulatory flexibility to allow for creativity and innovation while maintaining existing character.
Reflecting the downtown community’s priorities, the new plan’s purpose is threefold:
1. To focus investment in public spaces, supporting a distinctively social and pedestrian-centered downtown that expands access to and from surrounding neighborhoods.
2. To enable greater flexibility and creativity for existing and future businesses, reinforcing downtown’s historic character through tailored design and regulatory standards that encourage reinvestment.
3. To strengthen the downtown business community and neighborhoods with new housing options that reflect the area’s traditional design character.
The new plan celebrates Tonganoxie’s historic character to ensure downtown remains a distinctly local place while attracting investment, activity, and community life for years to come.
