A major commercial gateway into downtown is one step closer to improvements that will help make it a pedestrian-friendly destination.

On Tuesday, streetscape project plans for a four-block area of Ingersoll Avenue from 28th through 31st streets on Ingersoll Avenue were unveiled for the public. Community leaders, residents, and property and business owners from the corridor gathered to see the conceptual plans that were created by Douglas Hoerr Landscape Architecture Inc. of Chicago. Two plans were presented: a basic plan that includes new sidewalks and trees, and an enhanced version with more amenities such as pedestrian lighting, decorative planter urns and new curbs.

“The base project would be a wonderful improvement for the pilot area, but it’s certainly not our fondest wish,” said Ted Irvine, a member of the Restoration Ingersoll Committee and owner of The Mansion, a home furnishings store located on Ingersoll. “We’d like to get the enhanced project completed, and to do that, we’re going to have to raise additional funds.”

The estimated cost for the base plan is about $650,000. That’s equivalent to the amount of money that the city and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization ($500,000 and $150,000, respectively) approved for the project last February. For features included in the enhanced plan, up to $1.65 million in additional money will have to be raised through donations.

Restoration Ingersoll, a subcommittee of the Ingersoll Area Association, will be responsible for securing individual and corporate donations for the pilot project, but Jason Van Essen, a senior city planner for the city of Des Moines, said the city will also look for additional sources of funding.

“This is really a partnership of a project between the city and the Ingersoll community of business owners and residents,” Van Essen said. “We’re going to look under every stone to identify grants and state and federal money that could be used toward this project.”

Irvine said he is optimistic that Restoration Ingersoll will be successful with its fund-raising campaign. The group plans to begin soliciting donations this month and finish by early summer. Before it begins, it will flesh out some cost estimates for some of the pieces of the enhanced project plan, such as having some of the unsightly utility poles removed or replaced.

“We intend to be successful,” Irvine said, “It’s important that we’re successful with the project so that we can complete the vision for an entire Ingersoll streetscape. We think the design we have will transition well across the commercial and residential areas on Ingersoll.”

Van Essen has also seen early signs of support for the streetscaping, and he feels confident that many people will be willing to invest in the project.

“I have been surprised at how many people have a strong attachment to this area and want to see it improved,” he said. “We had a phenomenal turnout for the public input meeting, which shows how much people care about this.”

The high attendance at the meeting was a reflection of the anticipation leading up to the unveiling of the project concepts. For the past several years, members of the Ingersoll Area Association and groups representing the surrounding neighborhoods have been working with the city to raise money for improvements to the area. In late 2003, RDG Planning & Design created a comprehensive plan for the Ingersoll Avenue corridor, and the city and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization committed funding in February 2005.

Last October, the City Council approved a contract with Douglas Hoerr Landscape Architecture for $238,655 for design services for the project. The city also hired Hoerr for beautification projects along Fleur Drive, at the Ruan Center, Nollen Plaza and several other downtown projects.

Douglas Hoerr, who spoke at the meeting on Tuesday, said the Ingersoll Avenue pilot project addresses several issues that currently hurt the area’s business climate. Some of these issues include 3-foot-wide sidewalks, which are much too narrow for pedestrian traffic; the “massive” street width; utility poles; parking that extends up the sidewalks in some areas; driveways that are wider than they need to be, which results in too much concrete; and non-conforming parking in some areas, which cuts into pedestrian spaces.

“We want to make a wonderful pedestrian experience along Ingersoll, and increase its visual appeal so that cars driving by know they’ve come to a special zone in the city,” Hoerr said. “The area is fortunate to already have a strong business base, and this project will nurture those businesses and make this a vibrant destination.”

After the fundraising is complete this summer, construction documents will be drawn up and submitted to the Iowa Department of Transportation for approval this winter. The final pre-construction phase of the project, the contract bidding, is scheduled for completion next spring. If everything stays on schedule, construction could wrap up in the fall of 2007.