Planning staff presented two concepts to reconfigure First Street and expand the Jackalope parking lot near Depot Park during the Aug. 12 Laramie City Council work session and requested council feedback on the concept designs and next steps. The proposals aim to increase parking supply, improve pedestrian accessibility and manage chronic stormwater pooling that affects the area.

Planner Joseph Shahidi said the project grew from prior council direction to consider downtown parking and drainage issues. The concepts include converting First Street to a one‑way aisle with back‑in diagonal parking and expanding the Jackalope lot; staff reported existing parking of 171 spaces and a proposed total of 206 spaces — an increase of 35 spaces (about 20%). The proposals also call for new curb, gutter, sidewalks and added ADA spaces spread along the corridor.

Stormwater was a central driver: staff proposed resurfacing the Jackalope lot, adding inlets to capture runoff and routing it to a shallow detention basin south of the park to reduce standing water. Assistant City Manager Todd Feeser and engineer representatives said the area currently lacks adequate storm sewer and that any full road and drainage reconstruction would be a substantial infrastructure project.

The largest point of contention during public comment and council discussion was the mature cottonwood canopy on the south and north sides of Depot Park. City arborist input presented to staff concluded the north‑side cottonwoods are near the end of their life (roughly 80 years old) and recommended removal; the south side trees were in somewhat better health but are also old and would likely be affected by typical road and drainage construction because cottonwood root systems extend nearly as far as their canopy. Shahidi summarized the tradeoff to Councilor Newman: “for these trees, almost any infrastructure that we include in this area of First Street will impact the trees to some level.”

Multiple residents and commenters urged the council to preserve the cottonwoods and questioned the premise that downtown parking supply is insufficient; some neighborhood residents said they frequently observe empty parking spaces in the area. One public commenter said a petition with roughly 500 signatures asking to save the trees had been gathered and would be submitted later. Several council members asked staff to bring the city arborist and, if possible, an independent arborist to a future work session so the public can hear technical analysis about health, root zones and mitigation options.

Cost and timing are not final. Assistant City Manager Feeser estimated that a full reconstruction including storm sewer, street and park improvements would be substantial — “a little bit north of $6,000,000” — and said the current work is in concept and design phases; next steps include refining construction documents, securing easements where needed, and pursuing funding. Staff emphasized the project is currently a planning and design effort and that implementation would follow further council direction and funding decisions.