Wheaton picks firm to create vision for downtown

Wheaton has hired a consulting firm to create a vision for downtown that will forecast the demand for development and estimate the cost for improvements.

The city council Monday unanimously approved a $142,230 contract with Design Workshop, Inc. Mayor Michael Gresk said the Denver-based consulting firm will review the “whole nine yards,” from traffic and pedestrian patterns to utilities and stormwater infrastructure.

“I love our downtown, but I also know that if you don’t revamp and change and work at improving, you’ll stagnate and die,” Gresk said.

After the council recommended hiring the firm at a planning session Feb. 27, city staff members met with Design Workshop officials to broaden the scope of the project.

The project team will perform a traffic count at eight intersections downtown with an eye toward determining the impact of the proposed Mariano’s Fresh Market, expected to open in spring 2013 at the former Hubble Middle School site, city officials said.

In addition, the firm will conduct a market study to explore the demand for retail, office, residential and entertainment land uses in five-, 10- and 20-year time increments.

The goal is to use input from public meetings to develop a comprehensive downtown plan. As part of the plan, the firm will recommend streetscape and parking improvements, produce designs for streets to boost pedestrian activity and identify gateways.

Council members will continue to discuss how to establish a steering committee to guide the project. The committee is expected to work with the firm to create a Facebook page with updates and information on meetings.

Gresk said he wants the committee to include citywide representatives, not just downtown stakeholders.

“We need to get a taste for how people see the downtown and, more importantly, what they want the downtown to look like,” Gresk said.

During the planning session, the council discussed three candidates from a list of firms selected by staff members. The low bid for the project, from Design Workshop, was $90,720.

The project will actually cost $142,230, plus $7,145 in travel expenses, after the city sought additional services from the company.

Design Workshop was the only firm on the list from out of state.

“We talked about maybe there is an upside to having someone that doesn’t have any preconceived notions,” Gresk said.

The final plan is expected to be presented at a public open house in November.