Graham’s Historic Resources Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, on an application for a certificate of appropriateness to allow for the construction of a new park at the site of a city parking lot at 129 West Elm Street, beside Roasted Coffee Depot and across from The Alamance News.
Assistant city manager Aaron Holland had told the city council last week that plans to relocate Sesquicentennial Park from the northwest corner of Court Square to the West Elm Street parking lot would need to be reviewed by the Historic Resources Commission (HRC), probably at a special meeting, to expedite its approval before seeking bids for the construction of the new park.
Holland filed an application for a certificate of appropriateness with the HRC on Tuesday, March 17.
The city council voted 3-2 on March 10 to adopt a third iteration developed by a Raleigh-based architectural and engineering firm, Stewart, that situates the new park at the front West Elm Street parking lot, sandwiched between the coffee shop and law office of Tony DiLello.
Graham mayor pro tem Ricky Hall and council members Bobby Chin and Bonnie Whitaker, voted in favor of the latest design concept plan. Voting against were mayor Chelsea Dickey (who has insisted that the existing park should be repaired and remain in its current location) and Jim Young, who otherwise said he thought the design was attractive.
The current concept for the park “entails removing the asphalt [from part of the parking lot] and adding a grass lawn, benches, concrete/brick hardscapes, landscaping along the perimeter, and a covered pergola/stage area,” Holland wrote in the application to the HRC. “The brick [shown] would be consistent with the brick currently used at the other park downtown.”
Neither the narrative accompanying the concept plan that the council approved 3-2 last week, nor the application to the HRC, specifies whether the 400 memorial bricks that currently make up the floor of Sesquicentennial Park would be preserved.
Most of the new park would be green space, rather than a paved or brick foundation; the concept also doesn’t specify whether the green space would be turf or artificial grass.
Also unclear is what other elements of the Sesquicentennial Park – such as the four-sided pedestal clock or the existing pergola – might be restored at the new location.
Even its name has been revised in the drawings submitted to the city: the architects have dubbed the new park “Elm Street Park.”
Instead, the concept attached to the HRC application emphasizes Stewart’s vision for a “new civic social space” centered on: an outdoor “living room” with moveable seating; pedestrian connectivity and safety; an “engine for vitality” with dedicate space for food trucks and vendors; sustainability and comfort through “native plantings, shade structures, and green infrastructure”; and “identity and experience through Instagram-friendly visual features and integrated cultural interpretation” to create a “‘sense of place’ that strengthens Graham’s downtown branding.”
The HRC is scheduled to hold the special meeting at 6:00 p.m. next Tuesday in the council’s chambers at city hall.
During the earlier city council meetings – January 13, February 10, and March 10 – the council adopted the plans without opening the floor for public comments prior to the vote.
Graham’s HRC is responsible for administering the city’s Facade Grant program; establishing design guidelines within the historic district; recommending properties for designation as historic landmarks; and reviewing applications for certificates of appropriateness, according to the city’s description.
