Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sidewalk Historic Foundation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DRC weighs sidewalk options to avoid damaging historic stone foundation on Bridge Street
Summary
City staff proposed connecting the 1st Avenue North sidewalk to Bridge Street; commissioners and staff raised preservation concerns after discovering stone foundation remnants in the proposed path and recommended exploring less intrusive alternatives (choked sidewalk, boardwalk, or a pocket park/river overlook) and further study rather than cutting the sidewalk through the foundation.
Staff asked the DRC to advise on connecting an existing 10‑ft downtown sidewalk on 1st Avenue North with the Bridge Street sidewalk. During review staff noted surviving stone foundation elements along the proposed alignment; the foundation is historically associated with a former bakehouse and the bridge approach and is visible in recent photos. Staff laid out options: build the full 10‑ft sidewalk and take/relocate stone, narrow the sidewalk to 4–5 ft through the constrained area, move the stones to mark the footprint, or inlay smoother stones into the new concrete as an interpretive treatment.
Commissioners and staff strongly urged preserving and interpreting the remains rather than routing a standard sidewalk over them. Suggestions included routing pedestrians to the other side, creating a small pocket park/overlook, using a boardwalk or ramp to span the ruins, stabilizing and repairing the foundation stones and adding interpretive signage. Staff noted the corridor is part of the city’s long‑range trail system and recommended identifying the least intrusive alignment consistent with that plan and submitting a design that preserves the historic elements.
