Parking, loading zones, construction impacts to businesses and facilitating winter operations such as snow removal topped community concerns in a series of June public meetings about Durango’s Downtown’s Next Step project.
The city held four meetings last month, each focused on a different segment of the population: downtown business owners, business employees, residents and people with accessibility interests, such as people with disabilities.
Public feedback was presented at an Engage Durango forum at the Durango Public Library last week.
Klancy Nixon, city community engagement specialist, said a total of 226 people attended the meetings, where they were invited to post sticky notes on preliminary designs, ask questions about various elements of Downtown’s Next Step and share their concerns.
Parking, to no surprise of the city’s, was mentioned the most, with 535 references, Nixon said. Pedestrian safety and accessibility received 353 mentions, while business impact and economic considerations received 246 mentions, and traffic flow was mentioned 236 times.
There also appeared to be universal support for needed infrastructure replacement, she said. The four groups also appeared to generally agree on supporting safety improvements, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance upgrades, wider sidewalks, and accessible seating and shade features.
City Multimodal Manager Devin King said the city is listening to feedback and plans to alter designs to reduce the number of lost parking spaces. City code currently requires 22-foot parking spaces; while county residents in particular are requesting longer spaces, city residents are asking for more spaces generally, with longer spaces designated to cross streets.
“We’re going to have to look at that and take a look at our parking code requirements, what would be required and where we could potentially get more spaces back,” he said.
The city is also investigating loading zone needs and the option to facilitate curbside loading and unloading, given the center turn lane on downtown Main Avenue is used for snow storage during the winter.
King said the city will consult delivery companies to determine how to design curbside loading that works for them, while also preserving parking spaces.
The city is also adjusting curb extensions and sidewalks to make it easier for snow plows and street sweepers to navigate them, he said.
The city is balancing public feedback with technical needs such as fire and emergency response, utilities and public works maintenance; environmental restraints; and local, state and federal laws.
“We are trying to balance all of these needs and get to a project goal that works for the community but then also works for the objectives for this project,” he said.
Downtown’s Next Step is a safety project that aims to make downtown Main Avenue safer and more navigable for pedestrians and cyclists. It pairs closely with a separate but related infrastructure project to replace and upgrade aged utility infrastructure beneath Main Avenue.
The city expects to reach 60% design completion this fall and present the designs in October. Then it will continue toward 90% design completion, at which point construction cost estimates should be achievable by engineers. Durango City Council will decide whether to pursue the project once construction estimates are obtained.
cburney@durangoherald.com
