Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Streetscape topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Downtown streetscape redesign and community center repairs discussed; board schedules follow-up planning
Summary
MEDC members and consultants debated downtown streetscape options and community-center repairs on Sept. 16 and directed staff to convene a coordination meeting to refine design, parking impacts and cost estimates.
Montgomery Economic Development Corporation members and consultants spent a substantial portion of the Sept. 16 meeting discussing downtown streetscape design, McGowan Street improvements and possible changes to the community-center site.
Staff and outside consultants reviewed a revised streetscape scope that removes some private-property improvements from the city-funded work and focuses construction within the public right of way. The change is intended to reduce immediate project cost and complexity, though board members remained concerned about parking loss for downtown businesses if certain plaza elements are installed.
Consultants and board members described several design options to balance pedestrian improvements with on-street parking, including narrowing travel lanes, changing a section to one-way traffic and using different surface materials (stamped concrete versus permeable pavers). At least one consultant cautioned against relying on stamped concrete because matching repairs later can be difficult; permeable pavers were discussed as an alternative around tree wells and high-traffic plazas.
The board discussed the McGowan Street corridor in connection with the adjacent community-center property. Members and consultants said the community center building has mold remediation needs and could be rebuilt or substantially renovated; several board members suggested relocating or reconstructing the facility to free a larger, more flexible plaza and event area. Participants noted the city owns the park area adjacent to the community center and suggested converting that space into a focal event area tied to downtown programming.
Participants agreed to hold a coordination meeting with design staff and consultants to finalize priorities and align cost estimates. The board asked staff to accelerate the McGowan Street design work to produce bid-ready documents and to return to the MEDC and city with updated cost estimates; several speakers said having final numbers by October would clear other budget and scheduling decisions.
No formal vote was recorded on the design options at the meeting; the board gave staff direction to convene stakeholders, refine the design to preserve parking where feasible and prepare cost estimates for the board and council to review.
