| Publication:Idaho Press; |
Date:Sep 28, 2006; |
Section:Main; |
Page Number:4Main |
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Panel outlines downtown Nampa plans
By Dan Black Idaho Press-Tribune
COMMUNITY: Residents seek upgrades, green space; commission looks to future
NAMPA — About 50 residents got an update Wednesday about what’s in store for Nampa’s downtown.
The meeting they attended Wednesday night, sponsored by the Central Nampa Downtown Commission, also took suggestions about how to proceed.
Residents asked for more and better sidewalks, walking paths and bicycle routes. Commission members said they are committed to making the downtown pedestrian-friendly and that the city has hired a code enforcement officer to help. They also presented some new ideas of their own.
For instance, said Mike Gable, the vice chairman, said the city could vacate a public street to develop a green space next to the railroad tracks along 1st Street. A green space could stretch from 16th Avenue to Nampa Boulevard.
Another idea is to build a railroad museum with some of the unique items in Canyon County that help tell the story of how railway helped develop the Old West. Gable also said the city has detailed plans to develop 2nd and 3rd streets into attractive boulevards with trees, landscaping and personality. He also said the city wants to lay fiberoptic cable for communications along 3rd Street.
The group also heard about efforts to build a new public library, City Hall and police and justice building downtown.
Before that discussion, the group got a brief history lesson.
Downtown Development Coordinator Heather Richards said the city and community members began a year-long effort in 2002 to develop a vision for the downtown. It took another year to develop the Central Nampa Revitalization Blueprint, which called for creating a community center, more jobs, more diverse businesses and improved property values downtown.
Commissioner Ed Byington said the group ushered in the largest re-zone effort in Nampa’s history, which laid the foundausing partnerships that let private developers leverage public land, while revitalizing downtown areas.
Responding to a question by downtown landowner Jeff Needs, Richards explained that several funding tools are being looked at by the company and that a report will go to the City Council next month outlining various options.
She said the city could ask a developer to build on city land for a lease. Those lease payments could finance a bond that would help the city afford its own projects.
tions for much of the downtown’s vision.
Many of the group’s longterm goals would require infrastructure spending downtown, Richards said.
All these things led to the city’s interest in a public-private partnership, Gable said.
The city recruited Stainback Public/Private Real Estate company from Texas to examine Nampa’s downtown to see if some creative arrangement could help the city build a library without raising property taxes.
Gable explained that the company has a track record of
