The 30% streetscape design has been completed. The City will be hosting 4 meetings in June 2025 to obtain feedback from the community regarding the design.

The pilot project, including temporary curb extensions and pedlets, was reinstalled in April 2025.

City Council passed a resolution on September 17, 2024, directing staff to complete the design phase and pilot project for Downtown’s Next Step, but not to pursue the construction phase and suspend any spending towards the construction phase. The full resolution is in the document library on this page.

About the Project

Durango's Downtown Main Avenue has gone through many changes since the 1880's. Through all of these changes, Downtown Durango has kept its Southwest charm with the sweeping views of Smelter Mountain, Perin's Peak, the Hogsback and the brick façade buildings. In more recent times, Downtown Durango has seen the need for increased outdoor space, expanded pedestrian zones, and slower speeds as the number of people downtown has increased and the world saw a global shift of people wanting to be outside more.

Pedestrian improvements to Downtown Main Avenue have been discussed in City plans for years, including the Multimodal Transportation Plan and Comprehensive Plan. These plans discuss the need for safety, accessibility, and greater pedestrian space downtown. In December 2021, a conceptual design and visioning process was started for Downtown Main Avenue. Through this community process, a conceptual design was created.

This project will survey and inventory Downtown Main Avenue from 5th Street to 14th Street, conduct a corridor traffic study, and design a few blocks based on the conceptual design. The design includes widening sidewalks, curb extensions at the intersections, additional trees, adding accessible parking spaces, bioswales for water quality, improving trolley stops, and improving curb ramps. These improvements will slow speeds, improve safety for all users, and make downtown Durango more accessible. This design phase will include public meetings and online opportunities to provide feedback on the design.

Project design cost: $520,000 (Phase I)

Project funding: 2015 Half Cent Sales and Use Tax Fund

Vision Statement

The flexible and resilient Downtown Main Avenue streetscape strengthens the heart of Durango as a safe, inviting, and memorable place for all users that supports thriving businesses, fosters resident pride, and enhances the visitor experience.

Focus Group

The City created a focus group made up of 9 community members that met to discuss the prioritization of design elements of the Downtown's Next Step project. The focus group met with City staff twice, for a total of 3 hours at the end of July and beginning of August 2024. The group represented a variety of lived experiences, along with folks who noted in their application they were for the project, and as well as folks who were against. A summary of the feedback gleaned from the meetings can be found in the Document Library.

Preliminary Design Questionnaire

The City hosted a recent questionnaire regarding design elements in the preliminary design. There were over 700 responses to the questionnaire. A summary of the results can be found in the Document Library.

March 14, 2024 Public Meeting

The City hosted a public meeting for the preliminary engineering design of Downtown's Next Step Phase 1 on March 14, 2024 with over 92 attendees. The meeting provided background information on the project, the preliminary design of the 600 and 700 blocks, and an open house style feedback session. Materials from the meeting can be found in the Document Library.

On August 27, 2024 the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business Improvement District, and Local First hosted a forum with a panel made up of City staff to answer questions from downtown business and property owners about the Downtown's Next Step project. You can find a list of the questions and answers linked here. Other frequently asked questions are listed below.

Downtown’s Next Step pilot project features two pedlets and temporary curb extensions. The added sidewalk space will allow businesses facing Main Avenue to create bistro space or more effectively utilize the sidewalk, as well as providing additional space for pedestrians during the busy season downtown.

Temporary curb extensions are at the intersections of College Drive, 7^th Street, and 8^th Street. The curb extensions are designed to demonstrate the safety benefits of shortened crossing distances, making pedestrians more visible, and slowing speeds of vehicles. The curb extensions will also provide an opportunity to observe delivery trucks and other larger vehicles’ turning radiuses downtown. The materials used for the project are for demonstration purposes and not representative of the overall design’s final look. Art and planters will be added to the curb extensions in late spring.

The pilot project is funded by a grant awarded to the City from the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Revitalize Main Street grant program.

Downtown's Next Step Conceptual Design

In response to bump-outs and the Multimodal Advisory Board's prioritizing of Downtown Main Avenue for pedestrian improvements, the City's Community Development Department contracted with MIG to lead a conceptual design and visioning process for Downtown Main Avenue. The conceptual design process reinvigorates community conversations regarding the future of downtown, specifically along Main Avenue between 5th and 14th streets. During the conceptual design and visioning process, the City conducted a robust public outreach effort that included 19 meetings, 2 surveys that received 2,203 responses, and an online design review that received 58 comments. The final product from this process was a conceptual design, vision objectives, and a roadmap for redesigning Main Avenue.

• Downtown's Next Step Final Preferred Concept
• Downtown's Next Steps Vision Objectives
• Existing Conditions Assessment
• Implementation Memo
• Streetscape Design Best Practices
• Results from the Downtown Next Steps Questionnaire #1
• Results from the Downtown Next Steps Questionnaire #2