Designer shows 'living street' concepts for Lancaster's Gay Street corridor

Chris Bettinport of Kimley Horn and Associates told the Lancaster City Council that the firm was engaged to redesign the 100 block of Gay Street to better support festivals and everyday public use. "I'm Chris Bettinport with Kimley Horn and Associates. I am a landscape architect," he said, and described plans to replace underground utilities, remove overhead electrical lines and create a curbless street plane that prioritizes shared use by pedestrians and vehicles.

Bettinport presented two alternative concepts: a more contemporary option that uses familiar local materials and a second, more modern approach with sculptural seating, reconfigured paving zones and festival gateways. He said both options are intended to allow vehicular access while making it easy to convert the block into a pedestrian-first plaza for events. "It's a switch in the system. It becomes a public space," he said, describing the Dutch-origin "living street" idea of prioritizing public life over car movement.

Council members raised questions about sequencing and feasibility. Several members asked whether infrastructure investment should precede private redevelopment or vice versa; Bettinport said infrastructure can help attract developers but noted that public–private partnerships are another model. Council also asked how existing buildings with code issues on the block would be addressed and how much of the construction would rely on the capital sales tax. Bettinport and staff said final costs and funding splits were not yet set and recommended council review the adopted 2020 downtown master plan to refresh earlier assumptions.

The presentation closed with council members expressing general support for the concept and asking staff to re-share the 2020 master plan; no decision or funding appropriation was made at the meeting.