Council directs field trips and RFQ after lengthy Party Plaza shade study discussion

Council devoted an extended portion of its March 4 meeting to options for shading Party Plaza, a downtown public space where afternoon and evening sun has affected performers and events.

Lauren (city staff) reviewed the history and findings from a shade study that evaluated May, July and September sun angles and several structural options. She told the council that excavation in the plaza's permeable pavers is not advisable, underground utilities and lighting present conflicts, and the existing stage structure cannot be used for load‑bearing attachment. "We had a $300,000 budget," Lauren said, recalling prior council direction and an earlier budget allocation that was later removed; staff emphasized there is no perfect solution and that tradeoffs exist between performer shade, audience sightlines and site aesthetics.

Discussion covered temporary measures (rental tents and misters), freestanding column and framed options, and tree transplantation; staff said large trees planted in the turf rectangle would affect the pavers and that transplanted trees had practical constraints. Councilmembers suggested low‑cost mockups and field trips to similar venues and asked staff to seek an RFQ for an industry expert to produce design options. The council voted to direct staff to prepare mockups, arrange site visits and return with consultant proposals and cost estimates.

No final construction authorization was given at this meeting; staff noted the project lead time and that a larger construction decision would be for a future fiscal year once funding and a preferred design are identified.