Twenty hearty souls braved blustery winds and cold temperatures April 20 to tour downtown Boulder as part of the ongoing Boulder Downtown Master Plan and Growth Policy process.
Community planners Matthew Rohrback and Jessica Holdren from Land Solutions, the group contracted to develop the plans, led the tour and posed a number of questions to participants. Questions included:
- How can we improve the appearance of the downtown?
- Would people like to maintain the murals on main street?
- How can we make the islands in the center of the street more attractive while addressing issues of visibility and safety for pedestrians and drivers?
- What businesses is Boulder lacking, and how do we attract them to our town?
- What are barriers to business development in Boulder?
- How could the open area between the Raghorn and the Elkhorn Cafe be developed to be an asset to the town?
The tour began and ended at Boulder City Hall. Conversations, characterized by Mayor Rusty Giulio as “well rounded discussions on a lot of topics,” included new ideas for how to address the issues.
The issue of how to work with the Montana Department of Transportation over Main Street, which is also a state highway, was raised repeatedly. The planners suggested Boulder develop proposals to improve safety and the appearance of Main Street, and present them to the department. They noted that the department has a responsibility to respond to the requests.
Rohrback and Holdren emphasized that the plans should reflect the vision and ideas of the people of Boulder.
The ideas collected at the tour and earlier public meetings will be presented at a Boulder Downtown Master Plan and Growth Policy Open House on Wednesday, May 23. The meeting will be held in the Jefferson High School cafeteria area from 6-8 p.m. The public is urged to attend.
