McKenna worked with Delhi Charter Township on the Realize Cedar initiative to guide the design of a new downtown. The project included an innovative pop-up outreach events to reach residents where they were — local basketball games, riding the trails, shopping at the farmer’s market, visiting the library, or watching music at Veterans’ Memorial Park. Other outreach included digital display kiosks, online surveying and forums, local business presentations, and focus groups.

The project, which considered a roadway reconfiguration to reduce the number of lanes and create better biking, walking, and streetscape amenities, incorporated best practices for roadway operations and safety analysis. The transportation analysis followed the Federal Highway Administration process for the evaluation of Road Diets.

Ultimately, Realize Cedar is about facilitating the latent need for new housing and businesses. The Township now has a design framework to facilitate and evaluate new development at several key sites. The Urban Design Framework includes identity themes, materials standards, and signing guidelines for the entire corridor from Willoughby Road on the north and College Road on the south.