The Downtown Design Review Board on June 12 approved a certificate of compatibility permitting permanent improvements to the City Light Stage parking lot, including two steel shelter structures, overhead fabric shade sails, a wrought-iron fence and entry portal, restriping, new lighting and a set of non-illuminated signs.

City planning staff presented the application (CC-25-14) and recommended approval with conditions; the board voted to approve option 2 — approval with staff conditions — and to allow the signage as proposed, with the understanding that any significant changes to the sign materials, illumination, size or location would be returned to the board for further review.

The improvements convert an existing 57-space city-owned parking lot on the southwest corner of Santa Fe Avenue and Ash Street into a more active, multiuse downtown space. The applicant, Catherine Kitchen of Salina 2020, said the design balances shade, event programming needs and preservation of as many parking stalls as possible. “The incentives, downtown incentives are paying for this project,” Kitchen said, referring to tax increment financing revenues being used to fund the work.

City staff told the board the largest elements are two steel shelter structures. Structure A, in the center of the lot, is proposed at 115 feet by 26 feet (about 2,996 square feet), rising to about 15.5 feet at its center and 9 feet at the eave; Structure B is a 119-by-12-foot (about 1,428 square feet) cantilevered structure along the west edge. Structure A will include brick and cast-stone bases at the support posts and a wood interior roof finish; both structures are shown in green/blue tones on renderings. Under Structure A the design includes four fan units, 18 rectangular 8-foot lights and 24 cylindrical lights; Structure B would have five lights on its underside. The applicant said the cantilever design is intended to avoid encroaching into the alley but that final supports may change after engineering review.

The proposal also includes two overhead fabric shade sails between Structure A and the stage to provide performer shade and additional gathering space. The sails are shown at 19 feet in height and in dark red and light brown colors, and the applicant has said the sails would be removed for winter to preserve fabric life.

To define the event area the applicant proposes a black wrought-iron perimeter fence with two decorative pedestrian gates and a masonry-and-metal entry portal over the existing curb cut on North Santa Fe. Board discussion noted the fence height would be consistent with downtown sidewalk-dining fences (about 36–42 inches) and acknowledged concerns that fencing could create choke points during large events such as the Crossroads Marathon; the applicant and Salina Downtown said the gates and the unfenced west edge along the alley are intended to maintain event flow while protecting adjacent landscape beds and creating a safer market environment.

The plan preserves public parking use when the space is not used for events. Staff said the lot currently provides 57 marked spaces; because of the center shade structure the center row would drop from 22 spaces to 15 covered spaces, and the west edge would likely retain all but one stall. The applicant said engineers are exploring smaller support posts to reduce any additional loss of spaces.

Signage proposed includes a 52-square-foot non-illuminated panel above the entry portal and two circular 13-square-foot signs mounted on Structure A, totaling about 78 square feet — well under the 342-square-foot maximum for the property. Staff recommended approving the signage now but adding a condition that any significant changes (material, illumination or size) be returned to the board.

Salina Downtown executive director Leslie Bishop, who directs programming for the site, told the board that seasonal shade would increase participation in events and make the space more usable for vendor and audience comfort. “This will not only provide a lovely aesthetic but it will be a place where it’s supposed to do what it’s supposed to do,” Bishop said, noting that extreme daytime heat can limit attendance at outdoor events.

City staff said the prefab steel structures have an estimated fabrication lead time of roughly 11 weeks with a total site timeline of about three months once permits and the final agreement between Salina 2020 and the city are complete; the city commission was scheduled to finalize the funding agreement on June 23. Staff recommended a condition that substantial design or location changes be referred back to board administrative staff to determine whether full board review is required.

The board’s approval followed discussion of drainage and winter ice concerns raised in written public comments; staff clarified drainage improvements in alleys lie with public works and are separate from this Design Review Board review.

If construction proceeds on the current schedule, the applicant said the goal is to have the improvements ready for the following event season, while sequencing work to avoid disrupting major downtown events.

Sources: Design Review Board meeting transcript, June 12, 2025; staff report CC-25-14; remarks from Catherine Kitchen (Salina 2020) and Leslie Bishop (Salina Downtown).