Kevin Picasso of Integrated Capital Management updated the committee on the Spokane Falls Boulevard corridor study, describing outreach, design choices and a tentative construction timeline.

Picasso said the project team conducted early public engagement in 2024 that yielded about 1,200 survey responses and multiple stakeholder meetings. The team has refined four initial alternatives down to two: a three‑travel‑lane configuration versus a two‑lane configuration in portions west of Washington, and a separate choice east of Washington about one‑way versus two‑way operation.

"We're really down to 2 today that we're considering," Picasso said, summarizing the constraints and tradeoffs for protected bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and parking. He noted the study must account for century‑old utilities (some lines dating to 1897) and that lighting, signal upgrades and utility replacements are likely regardless of the chosen cross‑section.

Picasso described accommodations for special events such as Hoopfest (removable barriers or planter boxes to make space temporarily available for event layouts) and said the team anticipates breaking construction into two seasons rather than completing the entire corridor in one year. He said the project is currently budgeted in the city’s six‑year program and that the team tentatively anticipates a 2028 construction start, pending final design and funding commitments.

Councilors asked how stakeholder input — including corridor property owners and downtown constituents — will be weighed against broader survey results; Picasso said decisions will consider multiple inputs, advisory boards and city leadership, and that no final decision has been made.

Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 691; discussion closed SEG 931.