News Release
For more than 50 years, Design Workshop has provided landscape architecture, planning, urban design, and strategic services to clients in North America and throughout the world. We are committed to creating special places that meet today's needs and are sustainable environments that will live on for generations. We wouldn’t have been able to work on all these incredible projects without our clients. Today, we would like you to meet one of these amazing clients — Kim McAuliffe, Downtown & Tourism Director for the City of Georgetown, Texas. The DW team recently wrapped up a new Downtown Plan for the City that will guide its growth over the next 10 years. Here's what she had to say about the work happening in Downtown Georgetown and her experience working with Design Workshop.
Tell us about your role as the Downtown & Tourism Director for the City of Georgetown. What is the most pressing issue you and your team are trying to solve regionally?
I lead an exceptional and diverse team dedicated to enhancing lives by creating fun and meaningful experiences in the heart of Georgetown. From running our Main Street Program and hosting arts and cultural events to finding new ways to provide visitors authentic experiences, we have the privilege of ensuring downtown Georgetown continues to remain the heart of our city. I always tell people that our team gets to have the most fun of anyone in the city!
Georgetown is the fastest growing city in the nation with a population over 50,000. Our authentic, historical downtown area has been cited as one of the key reasons residents move and visit here. After all, it is the most beautiful town square in Texas. We have to continue to invest resources into maintaining and enhancing downtown Georgetown to maintain our high quality of life.
Tell us about the work you recently did on the Downtown Master Plan. What is a challenge you overcame or an unexpected outcome of the project?
This project was a career dream come true. We spent 18 months collaborating with Design Workshop, the City Council and local residents to get this plan right. Our goal was to create a Downtown Master Plan that will serve the community for the next 10 years in the best way possible. For us, the biggest challenge was ensuring the plan incorporated a diverse array of feedback from both the Council and the Community. We dedicated substantial time to public engagement to ensure all voices were heard. The outcome is that we now have a Downtown Master Plan that addresses all of this incredible feedback and will guide us for the next 10 years.
What do you enjoy most about working with Design Workshop?
The Design Workshop team is incredibly responsive. If we needed something, they made themselves available. With such a large group of stakeholders involved, there were a lot of changes and feedback to incorporate into the plan. The DW team was open to any and all feedback evolving the plan to fit our needs until the very last second. While their adaptability and responsiveness was a highlight of our partnership, what I valued most was the fact that we all enjoyed each other as people. It was a great working relationship and we had fun getting this plan done.
What sets the City of Georgetown apart as you look at the collective future of your community?
The City of Georgetown has had a long term commitment to managing growth and planning for the future. As a city, we really think about what we want our future to look like. This is our third Downtown Plan with the first one done in 2003 and the second in 2013. Since we did our first plan, our city has nearly quadrupled in size so today’s plan looks very different than the one we did 10 years ago. The common thread throughout all of our Downtown Plans is that they capture the essence of who we are as a city and what our citizens and visitors need to thrive.