Next Step Implementation

A community revitalization effort is necessarily a partnership between the public entities and the private business owners and residents. The preparation of the Town of Halifax revitalization plan has been a model of community cooperation, with continuous involvement of both the Town of Halifax and Halifax County, which commissioned the study, as well as the efforts of numerous dedicated community members. This type of dedicated and committed involvement leads to implementation efforts even during the planning process. Recognizing that a plan is a snapshot in time, and that the Town will continue to evolve and change, as it has in the past, is fundamental to successful improvement efforts. The Town and its citizens during the planning have begun improvement of the buildings, are considering private proposals in light of long-range goals, and are working on a cooperative plan for addressing parking needs and management. In addition to designing, funding, and constructing necessary improvements, the following issues should be addressed in the near future and on an on-going basis:

Parking Management. It is critical that the Halifax County courts, the Town of Halifax, and the private business owners and property owners in the downtown area develop an overall parking management plan. This should address maintenance, directional signs, parking time limitations, a distribution of shorter-term customer parking in convenient areas, and guidance on court day long-term parking. Enforcement of parking time limitations is critical to the success of the management plan.

Downtown Overlay District and Design Standards. The Town of Halifax, through the "Downtown Preservation Sketchbook" as well as the recommendations of this plan, has guidance for the preparation of a Downtown Overlay District with associated design standards and zoning regulations. In order to guarantee the quality of design and construction in the future as well as to guide appropriate land use changes, zoning ordinances that support the design goals established in this plan should be implemented.