City reviews $1.5 million concept for McAllen Street plaza, one‑way traffic and decking in downtown

Consultants from Ardura (formerly Gunda) and Kimley‑Horn presented a conceptual design for McAllen Street in downtown Montgomery that would convert the block to one‑way traffic, add a traffic‑calming pedestrian plaza in the middle of the roadway and build a raised storefront deck along one side to create continuous pedestrian space.

Sharath Venablei, representing Ardura, and Jim Patterson, an architect with Kimley‑Horn, described the plan as conceptual and noted prior attempts to route a loop through a privately owned parking lot had been unsuccessful. The design proposes a 14‑foot one‑way drive lane through the plaza with angled head‑in parking on the north and south ends, seat walls and benches that double as safety barriers, bollards at plaza edges, textured paving in the plaza and furnishings that would support everyday seating and temporary festival closures.

Patterson detailed a raised deck on the west side of the street to connect storefronts that currently sit several feet above street grade. He said the deck would be constructed on private property, likely of a durable composite material, and include steps and an accessible ramp. The deck is intended to allow businesses to place seating and displays, while keeping the street level free for traffic and events. Patterson said the design would allow the plaza to function for everyday use while being convertible to a fully pedestrian space during festivals.

On cost and utilities, project staff estimated the construction cost for the McAllen Street surface improvements at about $1.5 million. City staff and consultants discussed underground infrastructure: sanitary sewer lines in the area had been rehabilitated or replaced in recent years; water lines through downtown are a mix of 4‑ and 6‑inch mains and staff recommended upsizing sections to 8‑inch where appropriate for better connectivity. Consultants recommended replacing or sizing storm sewer inlets within the project limits to match the downtown drainage study; final inlet locations will be coordinated with the streetscape and landscape design.

Council members and MEDC representatives raised operational concerns: downtown trash collection, the number of parking spaces potentially affected for a nearby steakhouse parcel, and whether Maiden Street could accommodate any two‑way traffic shifts if a traffic loop were revisited. The steakhouse property is privately owned; consultants said earlier outreach to that property owner did not yield an agreement for routing traffic through the lot, but that staff would re‑engage the owner and that further discussion could change the design direction.

Project proponents emphasized that the current conceptual scope focuses primarily on surface improvements; the $1.5 million estimate covers paving, plaza features and related streetscape elements but excludes extensive subsurface utility replacements. Staff said that if a decision is made to replace adjacent water and storm infrastructure during the same contract, the project scope could be adjusted and bids consolidated to achieve economies of scale. City staff also cautioned that some components—particularly the raised deck—would require property‑owner buy‑in because portions would sit on private parcels.

Council members asked for additional detail and for staff to continue outreach to property owners, noting that operations such as trash collection require practical solutions before streetscape investment. Multiple speakers requested cross‑sections and profiling drawings to show finished grades and the relationship of the raised deck to existing storefront floors, and staff agreed to provide more detailed sections to aid property‑owner conversations and permit decisions.

The conceptual design remains at a schematic stage: the consultants and staff will return with reduced‑scope cost estimates if the council prefers only surface improvements, a refined scope if utilities are included, and outreach results from property‑owner discussions that could allow routing or parking changes through the steakhouse parcel.

Quotes in this report are verbatim from the council workshop transcript.