BANK STREET DESIGN

Downtown Snow Hill Inc

Main Street Design Team

Background

• During covid the Town of Snow Hill closed Bank Street between the American Legion Post #67 and Bishop Stock Fine Arts, Crafts & Wine to provide outdoor seating in support of social distancing. In May of 2021, the Town Council passed an ordinance to make the area, named Riverview Square, permanent. At the same town meeting the Main Street Design team was charged with the task of doing a design for the space.
• This Plan fulfills that request plus discusses a full Bank Street plan… from Green Street to the river… for a long range plan.

Riverview Square Design Goals

• Provide an unobstructed view & pathway between downtown and the river.
• Make the space welcoming and inviting looking.
• Include flowers, plants, trees, seating, amenities, outdoor art, and shade in the area.
• Make the space flexible to accommodate a large range of uses - all the way from day to day commerce to large special events.

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Sidewalks

The sidewalk on the American Legion side is in pieces and needs to be replaced. The sidewalk on the Bishop Stock side has a utility pole and guide wires in the middle of it and is unwalkable. We believe that both of these sidewalks need to be replaced.

Replacing both sidewalks provides a unique opportunity to move to a curbless space.

• More accessible
• More flexible
• More usable

Curbless Spaces / Shared Streets

Bollards

Flexible use of space with removable BOLLARDS.

Surface Options

• Permeable Surfaces
• Pavers
• Printed Asphalt
• Painted Asphalt or Concrete
• Traditional

Preferred by the Team

Permeable pavers were the 1st choice of the team. They were the most environmentally friendly and the most attractive. We have since learned that the grade is to too steep for permeable to be effective.

Traditional pavers are still preferred for the surface over asphalt or concrete.

Plants, Trees, Lighting, Seating, Amenities, Outdoor Art

• Movable outdoor furniture; heavy enough to resist the wind.
• Plants or trees in-ground where possible to absorb stormwater runoff. In planter flowers, plants & small trees in other locations.
• Lighting - Black lamp posts to match Green and Washington Streets. Edison lights over the street.
• Outdoor Art - Fence mural (Bishop Stock side) and restored G. M. Dryden General Mercantile billboard (American Legion wall).
• Bank Street Alley beautification project
• Public Wi-Fi, Wayfarer signs, map and/or electronic kiosk.

All of the above are being actively worked on by the Main Street group and are described in more detail in the 2022 Streetscape Plan.

Design Summary

• Make the space curbless to create an accessible, flexible, shared plaza / street space.
• Use environmentally friendly stormwater runoff handling methods including in-ground plant and tree beds and permeable surfaces where possible.
• Turn the block into a shared street - friendly to pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.
• Use removable bollards for traffic divisions, safety, and flexible use of the space.
• Incorporate a variety of traffic calming methods to slow down vehicle traffic.
• Add seating that is easy to move.
• Add trees, additional plant beds, and movable planters to both sides of the area to soften the look of the space.
• Add lampposts to match Green and Washington Streets. Add Edison bulb light strings across the street between Bishop Stock and the American Legion.
• Add points of interest to the area. Already in progress are the fence mural along the Bishop Stock parking lot, the restoration of the G.M. Dryden General Mercantile history billboard and plaque, and murals in the alley behind the American Legion.
• Add public Wi-Fi, a downtown map, and wayfare signs. If feasible, add an electronic kiosk.

References: Some of the resources used to develop this plan

• Main Street America: People Friendly Streets - https://www.mainstreet.org/mainstreetsareforeveryone and https://www.peoplefriendlystreets.org/
• Urban Street Design Guide - https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide
• Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission - Curbless Streets - Evaluating Curbless and Shared Space Concepts for Use on City of Philadelphia Streets, January 2018 - https://www.dvrpc.org/Reports/16044.pdf
• Curbless streets:a new paradigm - https://leonard.vinci.com/en/curbless-streets-new-paradigm-cities, 3/8/2018
• Jack Sullivan - Campion & Hruby; Harrison Saunders; DBF

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Artist Representations

Next Steps & Responsibilities

The Town would need to:

• Handle resurfacing of the space with appropriate stormwater runoff handling.
• Get surface recommendations and resurfacing quotes.
• Do lamp post installations.

Main Street and the Downtown Merchants are working on:

• Plants, trees, furniture, edison lights, outdoor art, alley beautification, Wi-Fi & wayfarer signs.

Open items:

• Electronic kiosk

Bank Street - Green to the River

Bank Street is the only through town street from Market to the River downtown.

Full Bank Street Plan Recommendations

• Extend paved surfaces from Green Street to the river for a consistent look and feel.
• Install in-ground plant and tree beds to capture stormwater runoff.
• Add raised intersections at Bank & Green, Bank & Willow, and Bank & River to act as a traffic calming measure.

• Work with Worcester County to change parking configuration to consolidate library parking into one parking lot with 2 entrances.
• Add black lamp posts on both sides of the street.
• Install seating and landscaping along both sides of the pathways.
• Add rest area with seating, shade, and bike parking for activities such as storytimes and performers.
• Install points of interest at regular intervals along both sides of the street such as a StoryWalk.
• Add wayfarer signs and any signage required for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.