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Main Place Reconstruction, City of Zeeland – This
project involved the design and reconstruction of downtown Zeeland.
Downtown was renovated in 1980 with continuous canopies on all buildings,
heavily vegetated planters and 14 parking spaces. Through several meetings
with City Council, the Shopping Area Revitalization Board (SARB), and
numerous public hearings and public information meetings, it was
determined that the canopies should be removed, more parking should be
made available, and the downtown should be updated by using Zeeland's rich
history and cultural heritage as its focus.
As a result, the project was designed with brick paver accents in the
sidewalk, decorative lighting, planting areas, planter poles with hanging
baskets and bollards, traffic calming components, and more on-street
parking. Another unique feature of this project are the engraved pavers
inset in the concrete sidewalk. The engraved pavers depicting all the
provinces of the Netherlands including the name and coat of arms, along
with a plaque showing a map of the Netherlands. Zeeland celebrates it's
rich Dutch heritage as a part of this project.
A pocket park with a refurnished clock sculpture and a monument showing a
map of the Netherlands was also added to create a unique gathering place
for the citizens. During the public input phase of the project, it was
determined to expand the "downtown" feeling to more than just the
traditional downtown block and the project was expanded to include a total
of three blocks. The project was designed to allow some of the major
design elements be extended into other areas of the City to expand the
"hometown" feeling of the City of Zeeland. |