Connecting Downtown Page

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Two of the City of Page, Arizona's Strategic City Council Priorities' objectives from fiscal year 2016–17 was to: "Initiate a Master Streetscape Plan that will establish strategies and policies for streetscape development, criteria for technical feasibility and identify implementation costs associated with a streetscape enhancement program."

An APA Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) was invited to help the city create strategies and engage stakeholders.

Discussion with members of the city council led to considering a much larger scope, including developing a framework for downtown growth and development, focusing on strategies for getting stakeholders involved to help create a vision for downtown/main street, and working together to assemble the necessary resources.

In December 2018, the CPAT visited Page to engage community members and collect their ideas. The team presented its initial ideas to the community during the visit. In this final report, the team gives detailed recommendations for wayfinding and branding, right-sizing downtown streets, connecting the downtown core, and taking action.

Meet the Team

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Team Leader

Wayne Feiden, FAICP

Wayne Feiden is director of planning and sustainability for the City of Northampton, Massachusetts. His focus includes resilience, sustainability, downtown revitalization, multimodal transportation, open space preservation, assessments, and management. Feiden led the city to earn the nation's first 5-STAR Communities award for sustainability, the highest "Commonwealth Capital" score for Massachusetts municipal sustainability efforts, and "Bicycle-Friendly," "Pedestrian-Friendly," "APA Great Places in America," and "National Historic Trust Distinctive Communities" designations. Under his tenure, Northampton has become one of the most livable and sustainable small cities in New England. Read more about Feiden's experience.

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  Team Member

  Ashley Allis, AICP, PLA

  Ashley Allis is an associate with the landscape architecture and planning firm of Design Workshop in Aspen, Colorado. Her background in both disciplines has helped her effectively link design and community engagement in localities throughout the western and midwestern United States, ranging from public park design and master planning to the redevelopment of marginalized spaces through streetscape design and corridor planning, resort development, and urban design. Allis is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor in Landscape Architecture, and she received a master's degree in Urban and Environmental Planning with a Preservation Planning Concentration from the University of Virginia.
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  Team Member

  Courtenay D. Mercer, AICP, PP

  Courtenay Mercer is the principal of Mercer Planning Associates, a land use planning firm specializing in comprehensive planning and strategic community engagement. Mercer has overseen diverse and complex projects within all types of communities. In her current role, and as the former director of planning at the NJ Office of Smart Growth and NJ director of the Regional Plan Association, Mercer has been at the forefront of policy and planning initiatives of state and regional significance. Recent project work includes management of the Highlands Regional Master Plan update, stakeholder coordination for the Together North Jersey Local Demonstration Project program, and the Complete Streets Circulation Element for Woolwich Township. Mercer also serves as executive director for two small nonprofit organizations: Preservation New Jersey and Downtown New Jersey. Mercer serves on the APA Board of Directors and was formerly president of the New Jersey Chapter. She is also a board member of Safe Streets Jersey City. Mercer has a Master of City & Regional Planning from Rutgers University.
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  Team Member

  Ryan Wozniak, AICP

  As a planner for the growing City of Maricopa without much institutional legacy, Ryan Wozniak is exposed to many trial-by-fire planning reviews and processes. His goal has been to wear as many hats as possible to bridge the common gaps between best practices, industry silos, and academia to meet the policy challenges he regularly faces. As an ASU graduate with a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, Wozniak is actively building a coalition of advocates for improving land use and transportation policies that, in many ways, are working ineffectively and cross-purposes. Wozniak lives in the City of Mesa, where he serves on the Transportation Advisory Board and as a podcast host for Main Street Mesa, where he and co-host David Crummey convert listeners and guests into Citizen Planners.

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