Clawson Downtown Plan

The City of Clawson Downtown Development Authority (DDA), in conjunction with the Planning Commission, needed to update the City’s 2004 Urban Framework Plan and 2009 Master Plan chapter on Downtown to reflect the community’s desire for downtown revitalization within the context of its history as a small suburban city. The 2015 Downtown Master Plan Update includes illustrative photographs of the downtown as well as examples of innovative techniques for façade improvements and for making the most of small urban spaces.

Giffels Webster started the project with an intensive NextSteps for Downtown^® assessment, which included evaluation of building form, streetscape, circulation and parking. Our team facilitated public participation in the process via an on-line survey and open house.

To help community leaders, businesses, and residents understand and implement the plan, our team took photographs, created graphics, and developed renderings that illustrate the redevelopment concepts outlined in the plan. Action strategies are provided in a matrix that makes implementation straightforward and trackable.

This project received the 2017 Vernon Deines Honor Award for an Outstanding Small Town Special Project Plan by the APA’s Small Town and Rural Planning (STaR) division.