Englewood planners review South Broadway design guidelines and pilot streetscape projects

City planning staff and the Englewood Downtown Development Authority (DDA) presented a study session on March 4 on a proposed South Broadway Public Realm Action Plan and a companion set of design guidelines intended to guide future storefront, streetscape and public-realm work along the 3400 block of South Broadway.

The presentation, led by Hillary Portell, executive director of the Englewood Downtown Development Authority, and Chaney Bostick, lead urban designer at Studio Seed, summarized a year-long public outreach process, two near-term pilot projects and 30% streetscape designs. Portell said the work is intended to preserve what residents described as the street’s “main-street” character while allowing new businesses to invest along Broadway.

The action plan and design guidelines are meant to be advisory design guidance inserted into Englewood’s development-review process, not a change to formal zoning. City staff told the commission this evening that the commission’s recommendation is not required for the ordinance; the package will be briefed to City Council in a study session next week and the DDA plans a festival-street pilot in June.

Designers described a broad public-engagement program that began in October 2023, including four advisory-group meetings, multiple DDA briefings and three broader community touchpoints. The team reported 631 respondents to an online survey and said nine letters of support had been received for the guidelines package. Bostick said the survey results emphasized preserving older buildings, improved lighting and more space for outdoor dining and public art.

The plan will include five guideline sections: intent/introduction and checklist; a South Broadway context and history; an overall design vision; site-design and activation (streetscape zones, outdoor dining and alley activation); and guidance for existing and new buildings (massing, materials, storefront activation). Presenters said they had written the guidelines to be proportionate to project scale—few items would apply to simple interior work or a single awning change, while larger renovations or new construction would be expected to comply with more of the guidance.

Portell and the design team showed two pilot projects. One, called Flower Pop Alley, installed murals and temporary art to activate an alley during a downtown block party. The other, a West Hamden festival-street pilot, would use paint, bollards and planters to narrow a local street, add a safer crosswalk into Dry Creek Plaza and demonstrate short-term traffic-calming and public-space gains.

Technical questions from commissioners and the public focused on safety, lighting, parking and maintenance. Bostick said a lighting inventory was completed as part of the public-realm plan and that staff would coordinate with Xcel Energy and city crews to address out-of-service fixtures; Portell said the DDA is pursuing grant opportunities for undergrounding utilities on some blocks. Designers said they had intentionally prioritized universal design, noting that within a mile of the 3400 block roughly 62% of households have annual incomes below $75,000, 14% of residents lack a vehicle and about 13% of residents live with a disability — figures the presenters cited to underline accessibility goals for the corridor. (Presenters also referenced the presence of Craig Hospital patients who travel to the district for services.)

Commissioners and some business owners asked about tradeoffs tied to right-of-way constraints: whether curb extensions or parking removal would be acceptable, the size of tree planters to ensure tree survivability, and how the guidelines would treat existing historic storefront elements when universal-access upgrades are proposed. Presenters said site-by-site flexibility would be used to balance universal design and historic character, and that the guidelines would be reviewed and refined after initial use.

Next steps include the City Council study session next week, implementation of the festival-street pilot in June and further design and engineering work on the streetscape. The DDA and city staff said they expect to adjust the guidelines if necessary after testing the pilots and getting more developer and community feedback.

Portell closed by saying the plan aims to protect local identity while making Broadway safer and more inviting for businesses and residents; commissioners asked staff to ensure follow-up on lighting and to confirm that landscaping and tree details are engineered for long-term survival.