City Council Minutes 2024 03 19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes March 19, 2024 Page 11 of 14 Councilmember Kern agreed there is a need for analysis of such a closure and would like to see if a shorter term closure over the summer months could get that information. If we do this we need all the stakeholders and businesses downtown to participate fully. Then we can use the information for consideration of a 2025 closure. Councilmember Fahey agreed. She would limit the closure to just the 700 and 800 blocks of Main Street. City Manager Durbin stated if Council wants to look at alternatives it would likely push everything back further; Council needs to make a clear decision this evening for there to be time to implement any program. Councilmember Hoefner agreed. Councilmember Hamlington stated she finds it challenging to try to do anything this year in such a time crunch. This is an important decision; she wants to explore it but not at the expense of everything else on the work plan. Councilmember Hoefner suggested a three-month closure starting in July or August to give staff more time to prepare a program. Mayor Leh noted his concern that this would impact other programs staff is working on. He stated he has not heard what the benefits are for the non -restaurant businesses. We need to make sure all of downtown is benefiting. Councilmember Hoefner noted that Economic Vitality is already a high priority item on the work plan; this program helps that it is not a departure from the work plan. Councilmember Fahey stated it is too late to do a new program this year. She proposed the patio program stay for this year and for 2025 we look at a new program that we are sure benefits all downtown businesses and would have the bus and other issues figured out before we start. Councilmember Kern stated she very much wants to help downtown. She is frustrated RTD won't work with the City. She wants to work with RTD now to get something in place for next year well before something happens. MOTION: Councilmember Hoefner moved to direct staff to come back with a more developed pilot program for a three-month closure from Memorial Day to Labor Day to get more data and do additional outreach. Councilmember Kern seconded the motion. Councilmember Hoefner stated the plan would include how the DBA would activate all of the areas of the street that are not being used by restaurants. Councilmember Bierman stated he has not seen enough mitigation of the parking impacts for him to support it.