A national volunteer design team returns to North Montgomery Nov. 18-20 for three days of public workshops on the future of the Lower Wetumpka Road corridor.

North Montgomery residents will get three days in November to say what Lower Wetumpka Road should become.

A national team of volunteer architects and planners returns Wednesday, Nov. 18, through Friday, Nov. 20, for public workshops and design sessions on the corridor. The city announced the visit in an Oct. 14 news release. At the end, the team will share its recommendations.

The city has not yet published times or locations for the sessions.

Who is coming

The visit is a Design Assistance Team from Communities by Design, a program of the Architects Foundation. The foundation is the charitable partner of the American Institute of Architects.

The team made a first visit Sept. 2. It met at the Chisholm Community Center with neighborhood association presidents, faith leaders, business owners, residents and city officials.

The team is led by:

  • Steven Lewis, an architect and past president of the Architects Foundation and the National Organization of Minority Architects
  • Erin Simmons, senior director of design assistance at Communities by Design
  • Joel Mills, senior director at Communities by Design

The city said the program has run public processes in more than 250 communities since 1967.

What is on the table

The September talks covered the corridor’s:

  • housing
  • vacant properties
  • business climate
  • walkability
  • public spaces
  • identity

The work is led locally by the city’s chief resilience officer, Esesua Ikpefan, and a North Montgomery steering committee. The city said it grew out of Mayor Steven Reed’s work with the Mayors’ Institute on City Design.

“The CxD Design Assistance Team is excited to engage with residents and local leaders of North Montgomery,” Lewis said in the release.

What it means for you

  • Anyone can take part. The city invited residents, business owners, faith leaders and anyone who cares about North Montgomery.
  • Times and places are still to come. The city said it will post them on its website and social media.
  • You can ask now. Ikpefan takes calls at 334-604-9977 and email at esesua.ikpefan@montgomeryal.gov.

Our Chisholm neighborhood guide covers the area the road runs through. We will add the session times when the city posts them.