Downtown Valparaiso may have wider sidewalks and less street parking in the future. A draft of the new Elevate Valpo Downtown Vision Plan was presented to the city council Monday.
Liz Mooney with Context Design says the area is already vibrant, but that can make it hard for pedestrians to navigate around outdoor dining areas. As a potential solution, she suggests replacing street parking on the north side of Lincolnway across from the courthouse with a temporary sidewalk-level walkway.
"This would expand the sidewalk. It would allow a clear area for pedestrians to walk. The street trees would be in line, then, with the outdoor seating. Restaurants would gain additional space. The retailers would have additional space for displays," Mooney told council members.
If successful, the sidewalk could be widened permanently.
But downtown parking wouldn't go away. The plan calls for multiple garages — all within a three-minute walk of each other — so as not to inconvenience potential visitors.
Downtown resident Steve Ingram argues that isn't good for businesses, and the existing county garage isn't even full during big events. "Let's get rid of this silliness that we've got to be three minutes to our car. That's not what downtowns are about. Downtowns are the old piazza in Italy. They're the old fountains where you walk. It's where you go get dinner at Stack's and you walk to Pat's to get ice cream, then you go watch the kids roller skate," Ingram said during the public comment portion of Monday's meeting.
But the biggest key to the area's long-term success and that of its businesses may be bringing more residents downtown. Fred Prazeau is also part of Context Design's consultant team.
"Having more critical mass of people downtown will give better stability in the on-season and off-season and give more duration -- and also get more opportunities to have employees and laborers in and around the downtown that can serve those because I know that's a real issue, too," Prazeau said.
The final version of the downtown plan will be brought back to the city council and redevelopment commission for formal approval.
