Council hears 10% design update for Front Street plaza and downtown park; consultants flag utilities, access and tree succession as priorities

Leavenworth — Consultants working on a proposed pedestrian plaza and downtown park on Front Street told the Leavenworth City Council they are midway through a 10% design phase and have completed key investigations into utilities, geotechnical conditions and tree health while collecting public preferences for park features.

Holly Williams, the private manager for the consultant team, told the council: ‘‘At this point, we're not looking for any decisions to meet to do the need or anything, but just wanna give us data update and then do the class.’’ She said the 10% design is intended to ground concepts with ‘‘real meat’’ from surveys, geotech, arborist work and an inventory of existing utilities.

Paul Fussell, a senior urban designer on the team, outlined the scope and next steps: targeted design work through the end of the year, additional stakeholder touch points including property-owner meetings on Bridal Street, and follow-up council briefings. ‘‘This is a 10% design for this phase. And it's really to do the investigation, aspect of it,’’ Fussell said.

Consultants said they have completed a survey map and underground investigations that will inform pavement design and drainage. ‘‘We have a full survey map, and we've done investigation on all the underground utilities,’’ Fussell said. The team will use that data to develop capital-level cost estimates and potential phasing, then present options to the city.

Operational needs were a recurring focus. Councilmembers and staff pressed the team on emergency access, deliveries and event logistics. On the fire lane and emergency access, the consultants said they will retain required clear zones and improve bollard operations for controlled vehicular access. ‘‘We are looking at how the…the bollards and the barricades could be actually better operated and improved for, access emergency access,’’ Holly said. The team also said delivery access to business doorways is to be preserved and refined: ‘‘We just made it…so that a vehicle can come in to do the deliveries along the bottom there,’’ the consultants said.

Tree health and long-term planting strategy were raised repeatedly. An on-site arborist report identified trees in mixed condition; consultants recommended a succession plan to replace or augment declining trees and to add shade via new plantings or structures. ‘‘There are ones that are obviously, you know, sick…some that the arborist identified some medium to good health,’’ the consultants said.

Public outreach included a community engagement night and an online survey that closed recently; consultants reported nearly 300 attendees or respondents and said preferences favored a terrace lawn, seating and cooling features over winter-ice or snow-play elements. The team will revisit designs with the downtown steering committee, public works staff and council; they plan further cost estimating and potential phasing once technical data from the site trip and surveys is incorporated.

No formal council actions or votes were taken. Councilmembers asked for continued coordination with public works on maintenance, winter snow removal, and durability of pavement types given heavy event use. Consultants said they are preparing capital-level estimates and scenario phasing for council review.