Director Chandler told the Urban Renewal Board that the First Street revitalization project is advancing toward final construction documents and remains shaped by historic, geotechnical and budget constraints. He said the scope now runs from Union to Laughlin streets, that archaeological coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is ongoing and that current cost estimates put the total at roughly $6.92 million.

The presentation matters because the project targets longstanding public-safety and blight issues along a historic commercial corridor and because the urban renewal district sunsets in 2029, a deadline the agency has cited as an impetus to complete the work. “This project has really been in the making for many, many years,” Director Chandler said during the presentation.

Chandler told the board the corridor includes notable historic properties — including the Baldwin Saloon and the Wing Hong High Company building in the Chinatown block — and that beneath the street lie infrastructure elements such as a water line dating to 1875. He said repeated flooding and earlier raises in street grade have left basements and low levels repurposed and have contributed to structural failures in walls and sidewalks.

Engineering and archaeological findings have driven design changes, Chandler said. Geotechnical analysis showed that simply filling vaults beneath sidewalks could place harmful pressure on adjacent historic foundations. To avoid that risk, plans call for installing piers around building foundations and rebuilding vault supports with metal framing rather than filling the vaults. The plan also calls for gabion walls (wire baskets filled with rock) with an exterior basalt-facing basket to visually relate to existing stonework.

Chandler said the project qualifies as an "adverse effect" under SHPO review and that the agency submitted a memorandum of agreement to SHPO; SHPO has 30 days to comment. Mitigation measures described in the memorandum include retaining and protecting a building façade, removing and reinstalling a historic metal trapdoor into a planter strip, adding interpretive signage and stamping selected Chinese characters in the sidewalk to acknowledge the area’s history.

On cost, Chandler presented a subtotal of about $5.96 million and, after construction administration and related items, an overall estimate of about $6.92 million — roughly 5% higher than 2024 figures. He said Fund 18 contains $3.5 million set aside for the project and that the urban renewal agency’s budget shows $3.2 million available; he noted additional agency funding would be contingent on final plan approval. Chandler also told the board the agency has spent about $1.5 million to date on planning and related work.

Chandler said final construction documents and specifications are expected in late summer 2025, with internal review and a bid process in fall 2025 into winter 2025–26 and a likely construction start around the beginning of the year after award. He said the construction period is expected to last about one year. The board and staff plan to hold a community open house in October to discuss parking and traffic impacts before construction.

Board members asked no substantive follow-up questions at the close of the presentation. Chandler noted that coordination continues with the adjacent Federal Street Plaza work and with the railroad to reduce future change orders and to coordinate closures for other nearby projects.

The presentation emphasized both implementation risk and mitigation steps: archaeological coordination with SHPO, easement and right‑of‑way acquisitions from multiple property owners, and engineering solutions to protect historic building foundations. Chandler asked the board to expect a final budget presentation and a request for any additional agency funding once plans are finalized.

Less critical details: the project design team includes KPFF (engineer), Walker Macy (landscape architect), and earlier design work by David Evans and Associates; the project area borders the Chinatown block and required easements from about eight property owners.