Back in 2020, a group of architecture students from Andrews University joined forces with the City of Buchanan and its residents to create The Vision For Buchanan.
As part of the project, the groups studied the St. Joseph River and how it has been used by the community both historically and currently.
Now, the City of Buchanan is seeking input from the public once again on their proposed improvement plan to upgrade its northside riverfront area and improve public access to the St. Joseph River.
“Sometimes we need to be reminded that the City of Buchanan is built beside a majestic river asset that can and must be leveraged for quality of life as well as higher real estate values,” reads an excerpt from A Vision For Buchanan. “Life on the river should be an everyday Buchanan experience, a way of life. Restoring vistas and public access to get back to the times when ‘we went down to the river, fished, canoed, kayaked, shared lunch on the dock and admired the flowing water.'”
Some improvements are ecology-based and for the protection of the river, said Buchanan City Main Street Manager and Assistant Director of Community Development Ashley Regal. Others, she said, are about the experience from the community. Proposed improvements include Riverfront Park upgrades, a Pokagon Band of Potawatomi-inspired history trail, bike trail, boardwalk, camping area and boutique restaurant/inn.
“Right now, a lot of river access is reserved for people who have private access, and we want to change that,” Regal said. “The ultimate plan is to create kind of a mini national park right down there on our riverfront because the city does own a good amount of land there. We’d like to acquire even more if possible, and to create trail systems, and dock systems so that you can imagine somebody pulling up their boat and then walking into the city of Buchanan going and grabbing dinner.
“We have lofty ambitions, but it’s not unheard of.”
Regal said the hopes neighboring communities will join in, eventually creating interconnected river-based recreation. For now, however, all the city is asking for is the opinions of its citizens and the surrounding communities.
“We’re really lucky that we have a very engaged community here in Buchanan that really lets us know what they’re thinking and feeling,” she said. “They were very involved in the planning for the vision of Buchanan. And we’re hoping to hear from them again.”
The Community survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/buchananwaterfront. The information collected in the survey will be used to guide the planning process for this project in the effort to create a waterfront master plan for Buchanan. The survey will be open from April 24 to May 22.
To see the full A Vision For Buchanan document and learn more about the project, visit nicestplacetowalk.com/publication.
