Public gives input on what they want in downtown Dothan

Mural artist Katie Hughes loves green spaces where people can sit and relax.

For Danny Johnson, it’s all about food and cars.

Creating a “dream” downtown district takes planning and collaboration, and organizers of Monday’s Dream Downtown were busy gathering ideas from those attending the public-input event. People were asked to come downtown and share their ideas while enjoying live music, food, art exhibits and a pop-up cruise-in.

Dream Downtown was held as part of the Transformation Through the Arts initiative, an effort spearheaded by the local nonprofit Wiregrass Foundation in collaboration with leaders from local art groups, education, business, government and tourism.

The idea behind the initiative is to develop a creative economy where the arts are infused into the overall community. While the arts initiative is focused beyond downtown Dothan, those involved have long said downtown is where things need to start.

The Lawrence sisters visit downtown Dothan frequently, stopping at Bird & Bean for coffee anytime its open during their visits.

“I like to window shop,” Victoria Lawrence said. “I like to eat, so I will try just about any new business that comes in here.”

Hughes was painting a Love Dothan mural on an exterior wall in the open space located next to KBC restaurant. While she was working on the mural on Sunday, Hughes said people would stop and sit and watch her paint.

“I love that there’s places for people to hang out whether businesses are open or not,” Hughes said.

Several people who attended Monday’s Dream Downtown event want to see a return to public events downtown like Foster Fest – which was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Danny Johnson and Mike Arnold, who brought their cars for a pop-up cruise-in, said they like a downtown where people can come together. They miss Foster Fest and the chance it gives them to connect with other car enthusiasts and enjoy some good food from local vendors. Johnson grew up in Dothan and remembers downtown before shopping malls took retail away.

“This used to be a little hangout right through here,” Johnson said. “You used to drive through here whenever you were a teenager driving around, you know, on Saturdays because everybody was downtown.”

A planning charette will be held Wednesday with community members working in teams to develop plans for Transformation Through the Art’s next phase. The Wiregrass Foundation is working with consultant RDG Planning and Design to help conduct the charette.

Angie Casey, the community liaison for Transformation Through the Arts, said the initiative is about identifying what brings people of the community together.

“One person may want a green space and a water feature, another person may want more maker spaces for artists and others want more retail,” Casey said. “The bottom line is we can use all of that to feed off each other.”