City council has committed $2,000,000 toward a five-block downtown corridor and streetscape enhancement project, Downtown Development Authority staff said at the DDA board meeting May 28.

The commitment “is a major step,” the DDA director said, but she added that the project requires consensus on amenities, engineering design and additional funding before construction can begin.

The DDA's director told the board that conceptual images exist but that an engineering analysis and agreement among stakeholders will be needed to finalize specific features. She said those follow-up steps — design, refined engineering, and applying for outside grants or additional funding — make the realistic timeline for the work about two years.

Board members and staff discussed the likelihood of a small number of stakeholders helping refine the amenities and the need for a phased approach to secure the balance of project funding. The director said the DDA will continue “to chip away” at planning and funding tasks and that further committee-level discussion will precede formal design work.

The board did not take an action to accept designs or authorize construction at the May meeting; staff framed the update as a planning status report and a reminder that additional approvals will be required as design and funding advance.