Board forwards $5.8 million downtown landscape master plan to council without recommendation

Chris Worley, a landscape architect with Wizz Associates, presented a downtown landscape master plan to the Public Works board on Nov. 25 that covers the study area from East Boulevard to West Boulevard and Omaha Street to Kansas City Street.

Worley said the firm completed an inventory, public outreach and intersection‑by‑intersection master planning. "We did a site inventory...and identified what was lacking," he said, noting priorities identified through engagement included more street trees, improved safety and cleaner streets. He showed conceptual before‑and‑after illustrations and described design elements including planting beds, irrigation upgrades and boulders placed in planters to deter cutting through landscaped areas.

Worley presented an opinion‑of‑cost for full build‑out of the Main Street corridor and adjacent streets of about $5,800,000, which he said equates to roughly $250,000 per intersection. Council members asked whether parking meters would be removed; Worley said he was not proposing removing meters and that some renderings simply did not depict them.

Jeff (Parks & Rec Director) said the proposed designs aim for "low maintenance landscaping and improvements" but acknowledged there would be additional maintenance costs and that he did not have a precise annual maintenance estimate at the meeting.

After discussion about design, maintenance and funding options, the board moved the plan to City Council without recommendation, asking staff to investigate funding sources and maintenance implications. The board did not commit to funding; the item will be considered by the City Council.