Council approves $150,000 for Broadway pedestrian-plaza outreach and preliminary design amid mixed views

Aberdeen’s City Council voted to move forward on planning for a Broadway pedestrian plaza, authorizing $150,000 for public outreach and preliminary design work after staff said an initial transportation analysis supported further study.

Staff told council the city has a $150,000 planning grant from COG and that it used roughly $15,000 for a preliminary technical memo; staff said the memo’s results "penciled out" and recommended expanded engagement because the concept will likely be controversial. "This type of project creating a center square in town will provide a place for people to gather," a staff member told council, describing the phased approach and noting restroom siting and parking impacts would be addressed in design.

Not all council members were fully supportive. One council member said the city has other pressing needs and said they could not support the measure but offered to work on complementary priorities such as downtown restrooms. After discussion, the clerk announced the roll-call result as 9 yes, 3 no and the motion passed.

Why it matters: Staff and the economic development advisory committee framed the project as a tool to spur downtown economic activity and fill vacancies, but council and staff acknowledged the proposal could be controversial with businesses and residents because of parking and access tradeoffs.

Next steps: Staff will conduct outreach to businesses and residents, develop preliminary design options and return to council with findings and preferred siting for restroom facilities and parking adjustments.