Review the adopted document here (20mb .pdf). Or, purchase the report in a magazine-quality format here.

The Council’s approval of the Downtown Plan is the latest in a series of plan and coding updates shaped through community collaboration. Just one popular outcome of those efforts: The new Plaza de Las Cruces, which has already been embraced by residents and visitors alike.

You can review each stop of the process that led to the Council’s approval of the final Plan draft by checking out the diary updates preceding this one. And you can review background on the goals of this process and the groundwork that preceded the latest efforts here.

Everyone who participated in all the discussions and in each refinement of the draft Plan should take a bow. Their work led to policies likely to accelerate the implementation of many of the goals they identified and refined over the course of this historic process.

Congratulations, Las Cruces!

Now comes the official review process that ends with the Las Cruces City Council’s consideration of the Plan’s adoption.

You can see the latest draft here.

The constructive collaboration that involved so many of you improved our process through every stage. You can review those steps in the diary posts immediately preceding this one and reacquaint yourself with project goals here.

Opportunities for comments and questions aren’t over, of course. You can continue to pose them here or directly to staff here.

The next public meeting to discuss the proposed plan will be the TIDD Board on July 25, 2016 at 1 pm. Watch for announcements on the City website about upcoming public meetings that are part of the standard review process, including details about when the final draft Plan goes before the Council.

Get a downloadable/printable event flyer here.

What’s important about the just-passed zoning code is that it enables many of the goals affirmed during public discussions and workshops. Key among those goals: A less car-dependent Downtown with plenty of walkable options for living, working, shopping and entertainment.

For more about all the steps that led to this point, check out the news posts preceding this one. And congratulations again to all who’ve participated in this important process.

The initial draft of the Plan that began to take shape by the end of that workshop is now ready for public comment. You can see it here. Now, it’s time to renew the collaboration. We’ll be taking your comments on the draft through July 15 here on the website and via email directly to City staff here.

In the following video, produced at the close of the workshop, Las Cruces community development director David Weir outlines the public review steps between now and when a final version of the Plan goes before City Council. So your comments will help refine the Plan before it’s voted upon.

If you want a quick overview of project goals, check out the FAQ. And to follow the process of the Plan’s development through each stage of the process, read the posts preceding this one. They’re in reverse chronological order.

Please check out this first draft, and send along your questions and comments. Again, you have until July 15 for this phase of the review.

Thanks to all for the passion and spirit of cooperation you brought to this process. Now, it’s on to final steps towards Plan adoption.

The reception from attendees, many of whom attended multiple meetings during the four days, was enthusiastic.

In her presentation (32mb .pdf), Susan Henderson, project manager for the PlaceMakers consulting team referenced the foundation laid by nearly three decades of Downtown planning. Big picture goals of a more lively and prosperous Downtown remain. As does the commitment to assuring inclusion of the adjoining historic neighborhoods of Mesquite and Alameda Depot in the planning. The current effort has been an exercise in affirmation and continuity, just with an added incentive for accelerating the process.

What the four days of discussion and design-testing made clear is the opportunity presented by pent-up demand for both commercial and residential development. For instance: According to market analyses commissioned as part of the Plan update process, there’s immediate demand in the area for some 250 apartments and almost 105,000 square feet of retail. (You can find those reports here).

Since numbers like those are likely to attract developers, including many who might prefer addressing that demand in outlying areas, they suggest a heightened sense of urgency for Downtown planning and implementation. If the demand is absorbed in suburban regions, hopes for significant improvement in economic development and quality of life in the Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods could be delayed — or even dashed — for a generation.

The team’s suggestion: Ramp up the effort by concentrating the development focus in the short term on sections of the Downtown that are the best candidates for incubating a critical mass of walkable, mixed-use development that inspires broader private sector investment and public-private partnerships in the long term.

Take a look at the two maps below that indicate high-priority strategies. The first lays out a broad vision incorporating present conditions and longer-term goals (click for larger view).

The second calls out specific initiatives that can be applied in the identified target areas (click for larger view).

Priority No. 1

The first priority may be the easiest to fix: Begin eliminating barriers that inhibit connectivity between the Downtown and Mesquite and Alameda Depot.

Restoring safe, walkable access to and from the neighborhoods not only increases the likelihood of more customers for new retail and services in the Downtown, said Henderson, “it’s an equity issue.” Crumbling sidewalks, dangerous street crossings and the lack of shade trees prevent those with the greatest need for pedestrian access — the very young and the very old — from fully participating in the broader community.

Priority No. 2

The second recommended priority is to support the soon-to-be-completed Plaza with new development and redevelopment, adding restaurants, residences and other active uses that enliven street life.

Here, for instance, is a depiction of Bank of the West concepts for renovation and additions that puts a new building on the space that faces the Plaza and reimagines the existing building to better address the corner of Las Cruces and Main. The idea is to maximize uses of the building (click for larger view).

Here’s a look at a design for the Plaza restaurant building (click for larger view):

In the illustration below, looking north on Main Street at Organ, the new construction and renovations energize the social and economic advantages of the Plaza (click for larger view):

Below is the view looking south on Main at Las Cruces, which should become the epicenter of a reinvigorated Downtown. The renovated Bank of the West Building, with its corner tower addition, can be a visual anchor and iconic symbol for downtown Las Cruces (click for larger view).

Priority No. 3

The third priority is to create a heightened sense of arrival in the Downtown by leveraging the appeal and stature of the historic Hotel Amador and County Court House. Here’s a view from above that demonstrates that connection and the potential for activating the spaces around them (click for larger view).

Below is a block redevelopment concept focusing on the redevelopment of the Hotel Amador as an event center and developing the rest of the block to address Master Plan goals (click for larger view).

To see how development on both sides of Amador can be used to lead people Downtown, while preserving views of the Hotel Amador and the Court House, consider this illustration (click for larger view).

Architectural Strategies

While there has to be an effort to connect new development and redevelopment with architectural approaches that suggest structures understand where they are, there’s no need for a fierce debate over style.

Below are studies of mixed use buildings rooted in the traditions of the region, and rendered in ways that hint at both traditional and contemporary styles. Combined with regional materials and detailing, these approaches compel an architecture which frames an authentic sense of place (click for larger view).

With demonstrated demand for multifamily residential development, here are strategies for apartments at two density levels, both preserving a sense of scale appropriate to the percentage of a block they might occupy. The lower density example provides surface parking in the rear. The larger complex arranges housing around an interior parking structure (click for larger view).

Next Steps

You can follow each step of the process leading into the February 19 presentation and discussion in the posts preceding this one. And while the Friday night event wrapped the four-day workshop, it didn’t mark the last chance for community review of the ideas and proposals.

Check this video to hear about next steps in the process that will lead to the City Council’s consideration of a final draft of the Master Plan.

Moving forward, be sure to watch this space — and the City’s website for schedules of meetings.

Thanks to all for a lively and useful four days.

Everyone’s invited. The session will be held in City Council Chambers, City Hall, 700 North Main Street.

Here’s a preview:

The team has refined what’s been learned from research and conversations this week and from months leading into the workshop. You can follow that process in the posts immediately preceding this one. They’re in reverse chronological order and include links to background reports, studies and other documents that provide context for the Plan update.

What has emerged is a path towards a Plan that anticipates long-range strategies for not only invigorating city life in the core Downtown district, but also for reducing connectivity barriers between Downtown and the historic Mesquite and Alameda Depot neighborhoods.

Fortunately, market analyses for both commercial and residential development reveal higher-than-expected demand in the Downtown, supporting strategies to attract immediate investment in specific spots. This post highlights the analyses from consultant Bob Gibbs. And the video below, featuring transportation engineer/planner Peter Swift, hints at connectivity improvements likely to enhance opportunities for both Downtown development and better access to and from the historic neighborhoods.

Swift’s complete presentation can be downloaded here (.pdf). And you can dive deeper into other details, reports and presentations by going here.

Friday night, the consulting team pulls all these Plan components together and presents a preliminary to-do list for moving ahead on projects and programs most likely to advance the goals of the City, Downtown businesses and residents, and the nearby neighborhoods.

We hope you can make it.

If you’re not able to attend in person, follow along here on the website. By Saturday morning, we’ll have posted all the ideas presented in the Friday night presentation.

Until then, here are some photos from Thursday morning’s pin-up presentation of work-in-progress. Thanks to everyone who made it by.

“For your city to be sustainable,” Gibbs told attendees, “it has to be more than just environmentally sustainable. It has to be economically sustainable.” And what his firm’s analysis suggests, said Gibbs, is that “there’s no question in our mind that your Downtown has the potential for being a very viable shopping area.”

The Wednesday discussion and Q&A about business growth feeds into the broader discussion for the update of the City’s Downtown Master Plan. On Thursday, February 18, at 10 a.m. in Shannon Room at the Branigan Cultural Center, the consulting team will “pin up” work in progress towards a draft of the Plan. Then, on Friday evening at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers, there will be a wrap-up presentation responding to the four days of idea-testing and refinement. For more details on the week’s full schedule, go here.

What the Gibbs market analysis projects is an immediate demand for almost 105,000 square feet of retail in the “trade area” that includes the Downtown and nearby neighborhoods. You can check out the full reports by Gibbs and the residential market analyses by Zimmerman/Volk Associates, here.

The challenge, of course, is making the most of the projected demand. Gibbs summarizes the key points in this video, then spends some one-on-one time with local store owners, coaching them on proven strategies for increasing sales.

The necessity of thinking of opportunities for areas beyond just Main Street was underlined by business people and non-profit leaders who attended the opening night session, as well as the Wednesday, February 17, afternoon meeting focusing on neighborhood issues. In both discussions, attendees reminded the consulting team that the nearby historic neighborhoods of Mesquite and Alameda Depot Districts need to be included in the planning.

Where the needs of the Downtown and the neighborhoods clearly overlap — and where, therefore, there are opportunities for collaboration — is in the necessity to improve safe and appealing connectivity between Downtown and the neighborhoods. That theme is a major part of the presentation and discussion on Thursday, February 18, at 1:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers by transportation engineer Peter Swift. We expect the same enthusiastic attendance for that event that we’ve enjoyed at other meetings during the week.

Hope to see you there and at the other events that conclude the four days of collaboration. But if you can’t attend in person, you can follow progress, as usual, here on the website.

The opening night task: Affirm key spots in the Downtown project area where the advantages of city life seem to be already emerging and additional places where the potential for even more activity is promising.

It was an essential first step for the week’s activities. Applying the broad goals of Downtown planning to actual places helps the project consulting team focus their efforts on design ideas and policies most likely to advance those goals in the shortest, most cost-efficient ways.

For Wednesday, February 16, participants are invited to dig even deeper. The featured event is a presentation by urban retail guru Bob Gibbs. He’ll lead off the two-hour session beginning at 10 a.m. in Council Chambers, with an analysis of Downtown retail demand and his recommendations for ways to make the most of the opportunities, especially for small businesses.

The foundation for Gibbs’ presentation can be found in his downloadable report (5mb .pdf).

After a break at 11 a.m., Gibbs and other members of the project team will facilitate a discussion about the Downtown retail market and how the updated Master Plan might provide support for proven strategies for retail success.

What the Tuesday night table discussions demonstrated is broad support for leveraging success in key areas. Among them: The Plaza and the Main Street corridor. Participants in the opening night event were also adamant in their advocacy for including historic neighborhoods bordering the Downtown area in projects and programs calculated to expand opportunities and broaden prosperity. That discussion will continue Wednesday afternoon, when neighborhood groups and individuals are invited to a meeting focused on that topic in the MoNas Classroom at the Branigan Cultural Center at 1:30 p.m.

For more details about the week’s meetings and participation opportunities, go here.

We hope to see you Wednesday and through the rest of the week’s meetings. But even if you can’t attend the meetings in person, you can follow our daily updates in this space on the website. And you can ask questions and comment on our progress here.

Until then, check out these images from Tuesday night’s opener:

(Note: We’ve made some updates and clarifications since the schedule was originally posted last week. So make sure you’re working off this latest version.)

Over the course of the four days, there are six opportunities to catch up on the latest information, join in the discussion, and offer critique of work in progress. While we’d love to have you at every meeting, we know your schedules are unlikely to allow for that. To help you with your choices for participating, here’s a quick guide:

The opening and closing sessions on Tuesday and Friday evenings are where you’ll be able to comment on and contribute to our big picture goals and, in the case of the concluding meeting on Friday evening, our recommended strategies to achieve them.

There are special presentations, one on Wednesday and another on Thursday, likely to draw big crowds to City Hall City Council Chambers. The Wednesday event is a two-part segment with national retail consultant Bob Gibbs, who leads off from 10 to 11 a.m. with a talk about the theory and tools of successful urban retail. Then, from 11 till noon, he’ll focus on the latest research about Las Cruces’s Downtown and help lead a discussion about opportunities to accelerate Downtown’s success.

The visiting expert on Thursday is transportation engineer and walkability guru Peter Swift. From 1:30 till 2:30, he’ll talk about ways walkability strategies can be applied to neighborhoods citywide. Then, from 2:30 till 3:30, he’ll talk briefly about specific approaches for improving Downtown and then take part in a more wide-ranging transportation discussion.

Printable and Shareable Flyers

Main Street Retail | Bob Gibbs (.pdf 1mb) | Walkability and Connectivity | Peter Swift (.pdf 1mb)

On Wednesday at 1:30 at the Branigan Cultural Center, we’ll be focusing on topics neighborhood residents, businesses and cultural institutions want to put on the table. What we learn from that discussion and from others during the week will help refine strategies for the first rough draft of the Downtown Master Plan. You’ll sense preliminary progress in that direction when we do a “pin-up” of ideas Thursday morning at 10, also at the Branigan Cultural Center.

All the times and room locations are in the schedule.

Hope to see you. But if you can’t attend in person, follow progress throughout the week here on this website. Questions and comments are welcome here.