Sun Prairie Stronger Plan

Sun Prairie, WI

The City of Sun Prairie embarked on the creation of a vision and redevelopment plan for the corner of Main Street and Bristol Street, the site of a 2018 gas leak and explosion. This planning process built on that collective coming together to celebrate the heritage of the area and traditions of the community. Though born out of tragedy, this process provided a once-in-a-hundred-year opportunity to define the future of Sun Prairie. The Lakota Group engaged Sun Prairie stakeholders in a robust community engagement effort, ensuring proposed redevelopment plan concepts would be supported by community leaders, City Staff, elected officials, property owners, and local partners. More than 1,800 respondents shared their vision for the site over three open houses, three surveys, and multiple stakeholder and focus group discussions. The process created a flexible and creative plan to produce a successful and economically viable outcome for both the community and property owners. The Master Plan includes a baseline concept, preferred concept, and an alternative concept, as well as a phasing strategy and associated costs to ensure a realistic approach to developing the site. Additional design guidelines help solidify the vision that the community has voiced throughout this process.