For more information: Dan Vriendt, Planning Director, (304) 348-8105

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Citizens of Charleston will have a unique opportunity this Thursday afternoon and evening to express their hopes and dreams for the future of their city. People with ideas to share are encouraged to attend an Open House with the city’s consultants and planners who are leading the city’s visioning and comprehensive planning process: “Imagine Charleston: Your Dream. Our Future.”

The open house will be at the University of Charleston’s Rotunda in Riggleman Hall from 2 – 5 p.m. and 6 – 9 p.m. During that time, the city’s team of planning and design consultants from msi|kkg, LSL Planning and GAI Associates will talk with people attending about the future of Charleston and ideas to improve the community in the decades to come. The format of the sessions will be largely informal with one-on-one conversations or small group discussions. The open house is part of the consulting team’s “reconnaissance” work (also known as listening and learning) within the early stages of the 14 to 16 month process.

“We have been listening to many people who are actively involved in different organizations and causes within Charleston since we launched Imagine Charleston in February,” said Craig Gossman, the lead consultant with msi|kkg. “The sessions Thursday afternoon and evening are designed so we can hear from and learn from anyone and everyone who has ideas, visions, dreams, or concepts for projects, developments or other opportunities that could make the future of this city even better in the decades to come.”

“People in Charleston are welcome to come by for ten minutes to share a few thoughts or longer if they have grander plans for what we might see in Charleston five, ten or twenty years from now,” added Charleston Planning Director Dan Vriendt. “We have been working to maximize public input throughout this process, and Thursday will be the best opportunity for many people to help us set the agenda moving forward.”

The consultants and city leaders have organized technical committees that will be providing regular input on five key areas of focus for the comprehensive planning process: downtown livability; downtown business development; mobility and infrastructure; culture and quality of life; and neighborhoods. The open house will include stations that reflect those over-arching themes of Charleston’s visioning process so people who attend may be able to focus their dreams, visions, thoughts or interests into the planning sections that fit best.

If you are unable to attend either session, please visit the Web site, imaginecharleston.com, which has links to public forums and other opportunities for expression, or share a post on the Imagine Charleston page on Facebook.

Imagine Charleston is the City of Charleston’s redevelopment and comprehensive planning process in partnership with the Charleston Area Alliance and Charleston Urban Renewal Authority and with additional funding from The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.