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Downtown streetscape advancing; committee outlines steps for historic overlay, public art and signage
Summary
The committee heard updates that Phase 1 of the downtown streetscape is complete, PEC poles will be relocated in fall (about three-month work), Freese Nichols will be asked for a cost scope on a historic-overlay design, a public-art ordinance awaits implementation decisions tied to staffing, and two wayfinding signs have been installed.
Committee members received multiple updates on downtown revitalization projects, including the streetscape, historic-overlay planning, public art and new signage.
City staff reported that Phase 1 of the streetscape is complete and that the next step is relocating PEC poles to the rear of the sidewalks. Staff said five poles will be moved and that work is expected to begin in the fall and take less than three months to complete. Members asked whether pole relocation would damage the recently laid sidewalks; staff said poles were installed on removable bases and can be pulled without damaging the paving, with matching pavers or bricks used to refill the holes.
On funding, staff said Phase 2 is presently proposed in next year’s budget and is being recommended through TIRS; Phase 2 has not yet been approved and would be financed via borrowing if included in the budget.
Committee members discussed a proposed historic-overlay district recommended by the downtown master plan. The group outlined a multi-step sequence: determine boundary recommendations for the overlay, take the boundary to Planning & Zoning for consideration, then draft an ordinance that would designate the DRC as the review body and set design guidelines and certificate-of-appropriateness procedures. Staff said the overlay process will take at least a year and that they will request a scope-of-work and cost estimate from Freese Nichols (the consultant overseeing the UDC rewrite) to see whether the overlay work fits within the current contract or requires additional funding.
Staff also described a proposed public-art ordinance but said the city needs to identify who will administer the program before advancing the ordinance. The committee discussed workload implications and whether a new city position or division would be needed; staff said they will provide an implementation answer aligned with the budget process within about a month.
Finally, staff reported that two wayfinding signs are installed on Main Street and that the new Main Street poles look attractive; members noted insertable sign panels will allow updates.
Next steps: staff will request a scope of work and cost estimate from Freese Nichols for overlay-related design work, return with PEC pole relocation timing and progress updates, and provide a recommendation on public-art administration tied to the budget.
