City of Monticello Small Area Plan

After a proposed 2009 master plan suggested radically changing Monticello’s urban fabric by abandoning their historic Main Street in favor of suburban development patterns, the city had seen very little investment in its downtown.

As a remedy, Cuningham proposed a new plan that would build off the area’s existing strengths and recognize the virtues of a walkable downtown. The plan focuses on redeveloping core blocks of the original Main Street and towards the riverfront. The plan also provides strategies for revitalizing Main Street and amplifying the presence of the river into the life of downtown by redesigning the park to be more flexible and more active. In addition, the plan offers specific guidelines for the development of two catalytic projects in the downtown core.