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Planning Commission Minutes April 22, 2025 Page 5 of 7 5.1 Review Downtown Small Area Plan Mr. Carlton presented the staff report. He introduced Mike Thompson and Andrew Dresener from Bolton & Menk, who provided a presentation of the highlights and key recommendations of the draft downtown small area plan. The plan will come before the Planning Commission next month, for consideration and action, and then for consideration before the City Council. After the presentation, the Planning Commission provided questions and comments about the plan. Commissioner Rydberg asked about changing traffic at Jackson and Main Street to have it be right in, right out only. He stated he felt that adding parallel parking cuts down on the number of current parking spaces. Mr. Thompson stated closing off Jackson Street was considered and felt having as many accesses open to Main Street was important. Commissioner Johnson asked how many spots a parking ramp would hold. Mr. Dresener stated the reduction of on -street parking spots was minimal when changing to parallel from diagonal parking. The ramp would more than make up for the difference in the loss of on -street space (less than 20 spaces) and double the amount of parking on the current lot. He asked the commission to consider the parking be more than just looking at a number, but rather creating a different experience of being downtown, by parking and walking to a store. Commissioner Rydberg felt it would be tough watching people parallel -park. Mr. Dresener stated he heard a similar comment in the Open House, but he also felt that watching people back out from diagonal parking onto Main Street was also tough. Commissioner Johnson asked where the farmers market would be located should a ramp be constructed where the current market takes place. Mr. Carlton stated they had discussed ideas with Karen Wingard, who manages the Farmers Market, and considered numerous opportunities for a different Farmers Market experience. A few suggestions were having the market linear using the wider sidewalks, locating the vendors at the top of the ramp, on the backside of the Jackson Street or Main Street buildings, or shutting down Main and King Avenue/Jackson. Commissioner Rydberg noted the potential for employee parking to be displaced. Mr. Carlton stated the committee spent hours discussing parking and while there is a loss in the number of spaces with some of these changes, there would be street improvements with a wider pedestrian area and benches, all of which contribute a more enjoyable public space experience and provide opportunities for people to spend more time downtown. Other ideas include parking limits, but that can create other needs such as enforcement. Commissioner Johnson stated he liked the overall concept.