SANDPOINT — Basis of design for the city’s third phase of downtown revitalization, which will renovate First Avenue from Pine Street to Lake Street, was approved unanimously on Wednesday evening.

Welch Comer, the city’s design firm, put together 13 recommendations for the design based off feedback from the community and technical advisory. These included traffic calming measures, a raised intersection on First Avenue from Church Street from Pine Street and a seasonal left turn restriction from Bridge Street onto First Avenue. 

Councilor Kyle Schreiber was the most vocal during the presentation and agreed with most of the ideas but said he wasn’t sold on the idea of a raised intersection. 

“I'm open to this idea, but it seems like you might actually get a better outcome from drivers if there were, say, three separate ones rather than one big one,” Schreiber said. "They have to slow down to go over the first one and then slow down to go over the second one, whereas if it was one big one, once you're up on top of it, there's nothing else stopping you.” 

Matt Gillis, vice president of Welch Comer, said that multiple speed tables downtown are doable, but that it could create problems for emergency service vehicles using the road. The raised design would bring the street up to the same level as the sidewalk, although the two would be separated, encouraging drivers to slow down in a high pedestrian area. 

Gillis said the TAG group and community voiced support for a safer downtown. A major step that they plan to take is to reduce corner radi downtown, shrinking the amount of time pedestrians are in the street when crossing. 

Schreiber described the reduced radi as an "absolute must have” and applauded a larger rounded-out design on the southwest corner of Pine Street. Schreiber and Councilor Pam Duquette also voiced a desire for the city to invest in more and larger street trees. 

Duquette said she’d like to see the city invest in Silva Cells, which allows for larger trees to grow while not disturbing the sidewalk. 

“That allows your roots to grow further, and you can then have a sidewalk on top of them and still have a five by five or six by six, kind of surface level tree,” Project Manager Erik Bush said. "But this is kind of a design detail that we can figure out as we progress in design, but it's something that the data is in and these things work fantastic.” 

In the design shown, a multi-use path would be added to the east side of First Avenue until Bridge Street. Gillis said the path was a hit with the TAG group and added that the placement would allow for future connections to the Long Bridge trail system. 

Council President Deb Ruehle said that the multi-use path would be something that could evolve over time and suggested that in the summer the path could become a dismount zone for bicyclists to ensure pedestrian safety. Schreiber said he supported the path but questioned whether it would work if it was only two or three blocks.  

“What I'm trying to convey is that I'd be willing to shift some of our budget around in this project to make sure that we complete that path all at once, rather than putting that budget somewhere else and then having that path sit unconnected for years,” Schreiber said. 

One of Gillis’s recommendations was the addition of “third spaces” or places where residents can spend time downtown without spending money. Ruehle said she loved that idea and pushed the design team to consider covering the third space items, like tables, to ensure they are usable year-round. 

“It rains a lot in Sandpoint," Ruhle said. “I'd love to see maybe a very simple covered third space. Maybe we can get rotary involved, or some other organization within town.” 

Gillis said the next step will be to take the council’s direction to develop a 30% design which will contain more details on the project’s specifics. He said he expects to have the preliminary design before the council again in June, and that the project would be ready for bid in the late summer. 

More information can be found on the city’s website at sandpointidaho.gov. Gillis’ presentation can be found in full on the city’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/@CityofSandpoint.