LaGrange Gateway Corridor Plan
This project was completed prior to JFG Cities. Images are the property of Perkins&Will. Text is adapted from the final project report.
Overview: Lafayette Parkway, Hamilton Road, and Whitesville Road serve as LaGrange’s primary routes into downtown and key connections to Interstate 85. This effort evaluates existing conditions and establishes a coordinated vision for all three corridors, strengthening their role as welcoming gateways to a revitalizing downtown while guiding future growth in a strategic and sustainable way.
Building on earlier work along the Mission Zero Corridor, the project also provides a broader framework that can inform how similar corridors are planned and developed across Georgia.
The Approach: While connecting several catalytic sites, the corridors were also designed to balance regional mobility with local access. Inspired by historic parkway systems and their relationship to parallel neighborhood streets, the plan organizes the corridors into complementary couplets. In each pair, a landscaped parkway emphasizes movement and identity while a parallel neighborhood street supports local businesses and daily activity.
Example of streets couplet: Jamaicaway, Boston, MA. 1882; developed by Frederick Law Olmsted
The planning team provided community members and city officials in LaGrange with examples of couplets around the country that served similar needs and used them as the basis to make recommendations on the streetscape improvements and land use. Below are some example of the streetscape recommendations.
Streetscape Recommendations
LaFayette Parkway and Greenville Street Couplet
LaFayette Parkway (Segment A)
LaFayette Parkway - Existing conditions
LaFayette Parkway - Proposed
LaFayette Parkway (Segment B)
LaFayette Parkway - Existing conditions
LaFayette Parkway - Proposed
Greenville Street
Greenville Street - Existing conditions
Greenville Street - Proposed
The team then paired the streetscape proposed improvements with transportation and open space recommendations as well as land use as seen in the maps below.
Lastly, a series of catalytic sites were identified along the corridors.
My role: Project Manager
Client: City of LaGrange
Images Credit: Perkins&Will