The area between the face of Downtown’s buildings and the curb of the street is a very important space. It is in this space that the public life of Downtown occurs. If this is not a high-quality, hospitable public environment for people then Downtown’s private life (businesses, residences, offices, etc.) will suffer.

Because Angola has a very urban Downtown from a site design standpoint, the potential exists to enhance this “building to curb” space in a way that adds tangible value through increased pedestrian business traffic, higher real estate values, desirability as a residential location, and a sense of destination.

Angola and Steuben County sell their natural environment and lake landscape to visitors, businesses and potential residents. While few understand the connection between the built environment and the natural environment, it is clear that they affect each other in great ways. People develop property to be near nature and, as a result, nature is often placed out of balance by that development. This creates a potentially devastating cycle.

While Downtown Angola is not on a lake or in a forest, it is the top of the area’s watershed. Stormwater and pollutants that start in Downtown ultimately find their way into the natural environment so prized by citizens of the community. Therefore, implementing sustainability measures in Downtown Angola makes sense not just for Downtown, but for the pride of the community (the lakes and forests) and its long-term tourism future.

Urban environments do not have front and backyards like most suburban development. Instead, users essentially “give up” individual open spaces through dense development patterns in exchange for common open
spaces such as parks and plazas.

While Downtown Angola has some large open spaces in close proximity (Commons Park, the Big Center Lake Area), it also has places of tremendous untapped potential for open space: Building Roof-Tops. Not only can rooftops give users new open space opportunities, but they also can play a role in sustainable development through a reduction of heating and stormwater management.

People need opportunities for recreation to stay healthy and happy. Downtowns are often in conflict with this fact and offer few opportunities for outdoor recreation. This makes living or working in Downtown less desirable and has a dramatic effect on real estate values.

The proximity of Commons Park and potential for an urban trail system present opportunities for increasing the desirability for living Downtown. The goal should be to make these features a known part of the Downtown environment and a key selling feature for current users and potential residents.

A new streetscape design should be implemented in conjunction with the projected 2009/2010 INDOT resurfacing project of Maumee Street. At the very least, this redesign should address medians in the middle of the street. Costs shown below are for Maumee from the Public Square west to West Street and east to before Washington Street.

The Public Square of Angola is currently functioning as a place that people “move through” rather than “move to.” Redesign of the sidewalk areas in addition to the parking “triangles” is essential to make Downtown a destination that drives potential customers into stores and increases the desirability of the location for residential and office users. Key design elements should include: plaza treatments for parking areas, public safety devices including bollards and street trees, street furniture and signage, and outdoor cafe accommodation.

The park space east of the Steuben County Courthouse is an under-utilized area. Efforts to improve the park to make it more user friendly and sustainable are critical to facilitating better use of this Downtown resource. Redesign elements might include: Use of native plant materials for education and stormwater management, offering of more seating options, creation of angled or parallel parking spaces along the perimeter with pervious paving to manage pollutants and stormwater, the use of “green” maintenance techniques, etc.

Angola City Government should work with interested private property owners to develop key rain garden demonstration projects in parking area. The Angola City Government parking lots should lead by example in this area by implementing such rain gardens. This activity also has the potential to be an educational tool as well, showcasing specific lakes to which the newly cleaned stormwater is ultimately heading towards. (The Center Lake Quadrant, the Fox Lake Quadrant, etc.)