Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer is proud to announce that the City of Slidell is the recipient of the Excellence Award for a Plan from the American Planning Association Louisiana Chapter (APA-LA) for the city’s Olde Towne Slidell Main Street Master Plan. Each year, the APA-LA recognizes a plan that focuses on a specific area or topic with an emphasis on plans that advance the science and art of planning.
The Olde Towne Slidell Main Street Master Plan was developed in 2022 by Philip Walker with the Walker Collaborative. At a Main Street conference in 2021, Mayor Cromer attended a presentation featuring Walker and was impressed with his knowledge and experience of developing master plans. Walker was an integral part of designing plans for cities such as Covington, LA; Topeka, KS; Starkville, MS; and Natchez, MS. The City of Slidell hired Walker as a consultant to design a plan to revitalize the Olde Towne Slidell Main Street area.
Johnny Bordelon, from JV Burkes & Associates and Daniel McElmurray, Slidell Planning Director, accept the Planning Excellence Award on behalf of Mayor Cromer and the City of Slidell
Walker held numerous public meetings and charettes with elected and city officials; Olde Towne residents, businesses, and property owners; Olde Towne organizations; stakeholders and members of the public. Important issues such as parking, streetscape projects, signage, lighting, special events, and connecting Olde Towne to Heritage Park were discussed. The final master plan was based on the public input from each of the public meetings.
Since the initiation of the plan in late 2022, several projects have already been completed. New directional signage on I-10 and I-12 were added by LADOTD along with signage on Fremaux Avenue and Hwy. 11 added by the city, help both residents and visitors locate the Olde Towne Slidell Main Street area. And brick paver crosswalks installed at several of the main intersections in Olde Towne help improve pedestrian safety and make Olde Towne Slidell Main Street more walking friendly.
“The City of Slidell is honored to receive this award from the American Planning Association. We had a lot of great input and support from the public and the fact that we were able to complete several of the projects helped our plan stand out from the rest,” said Mayor Cromer. “I would like to thank Phil Walker and his team at the Walker Collaborative, Olde Towne Slidell Main Street, and the Slidell departments of Planning, Building Safety, Engineering and Public Operations for all of their hard work on this project. But most importantly, I want to thank all of the Olde Towne residents, businesses, organizations and the members of the public who participated in this process by sharing with us their vision for Olde Towne Slidell Main Street.”
Olde Towne Slidell Main Street is a non-profit organization with the mission to help preserve and enhance the historic and economic integrity of the Olde Towne Slidell Main Street District, and promote Olde Towne Slidell as a center of cultural activity with a cohesive community identity. As a Main Street America™ accredited program, Olde Towne Slidell Main Street is a recognized leading program among the national network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities who share both a commitment to creating high-quality places and building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.
“Congratulations to Mayor Greg Cromer and the City of Slidell for winning this award,” said Beth Bowman, President of Olde Towne Slidell Main Street. “Main Street is so appreciative that the City of Slidell understands the important role that Olde Towne Slidell Main Street plays in our community. We are excited about all the progress that has been made in the Main Street district, and even more excited about the improvements to come in the future.”
The complete Olde Towne Slidell Main Street Master Plan can be viewed at MySlidell.com/cultural-and-public-affairs/olde-towne-slidell-main-street-master-plan.
