Firm picked for street plan

SANDPOINT — If the city is going to regain its downtown streets, officials will need to have improvements planned in both form and function.

However, the city has SERA Architects on the case to guide the project toward a design that will offer both aesthetic improvements and offer an easier driving experience. In March, the City Council authorized Mayor Marsha Ogilvie to sign the contract with SERA for $197,994.20.

An organization based out of Portland, Ore., SERA Architects applied for the contract along with several other firms in late 2011. Council members said they selected SERA in January as the best contractor for the job thanks to their impressive reputation for public outreach and ability to handle stormwater and landscaping logistics.

For the redesign, downtown streets will include Superior between the U.S. 95 bypass and First Avenue, First Avenue between Superior and Cedar streets, Cedar Street between First and Sixth avenues, Pine Street between First and Fifth avenues and connections to the planned U.S. 2 “Curve” bypass.   

In addition to the features SERA employees devise, the City Council specified that the design include two-way traffic, at-the-source stormwater treatment, no new construction on streets less than 10 years old and improved pedestrian and bicycle access — especially to City Beach. Additionally, SERA will undertake a robust public input process and provide visuals and geometric designs for street concepts.  

The redesign process has been a long time in coming. For years, the streets have been retrofitted by Idaho Transportation Department into the highway system. Now a mix of one-way and two-way streets, the area roadways see heavy traffic from large semi-trucks and out-of-state traffic, making the downtown less than desirable for pedestrians seeking to peruse the shops and restaurants.

City officials have made the reclamation of those streets a priority for future Sandpoint development. With related projects like the Byway and the U.S. 2 “Curve” extension nearing completion or in the late stages of planning, council members and city staff have been discussion the reacquisition of downtown streets with ITD representatives in preparation.