Laramie DDA to host late-March public meetings on downtown plan update

The Laramie Downtown Development Authority announced a public engagement process to update the city’s 2011 Downtown Development Plan and will host a series of public meetings in late March, a community notice posted Feb. 27 stated; the notice also said meeting details had not yet been announced. The update is intended to serve as a blueprint for roughly the next two decades and to replace the plan issued in 2011.

The community notice lays out the plan’s topics in detail: “The Laramie Downtown Plan will focus on how Downtown can grow and function, with goals and strategies related to buildings, streets, public spaces, transportation, housing, economic development, and infrastructure. Community input is the cornerstone of the planning process, with many opportunities for residents, business owners, students, and visitors to share ideas and help shape the plan. The final plan will include a clear vision with a practical action plan that outlines priorities, timelines, and responsibilities. Together, these tools will help Downtown partners work collaboratively to invest in Downtown and ensure it remains a vibrant, welcoming, and resilient heart of Laramie for years to come.”

City of Laramie procurement and planning materials set the public engagement expectations for the update, calling for an approach that “Engages the community and seeks input from anyone with an interest in Downtown.” The materials require a mix of input methods and state that the process should “Provide a mix of opportunities for public input, including traditional methods such as town halls, surveys or stakeholder groups as well as innovative opportunities that help the planning team connect with the citizens of Laramie that care about the Downtown.”

A related downtown engagement event has been reported as a Downtown On-Street Parking Design Open House at the Laramie County Library starting at 4:00 p.m.; the calendar date for that open house was not provided in available excerpts. Sophia Maes, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority, described the conceptual parking design as anticipating “an increase of one to two spaces per street per side. So that's potentially hundreds of parking spaces downtown,” and she said safety is “at the forefront is safety for both pedestrians and vehicles.” Maes tied the parking work to Mayor Patrick Collins' office and outlined implementation steps: prioritization of streets, soliciting bids, and phased striping, while acknowledging public frustration with timing and cost and the DDA's desire to do things “correct for the long term.”

Procurement text from the City and BidNetDirect frames technical tasks expected of a consultant, including an Existing Conditions Analysis to “Conduct analysis and research necessary to develop recommendations and implementation actions based on Laramie's current and forecasted conditions,” and Community Engagement to “Develop and implement a public engagement strategy that ensures inclusive participation across the diverse Downtown groups and enhances public understanding of the plan's goals and progress.” The City materials specify that “A consultant that understands Laramie and can balance the perspectives of our educational institutions, local businesses, cultural organizations, outdoor enthusiasts, and residents from all walks of life and their role in the Downtown will be key.”

The update will also examine institutional roles and funding, with City materials directing the plan to “Address the powers of the DDA permitted through Wyoming State Statute (WSS) and how this might lead to local funding options for implementation of the Downtown Development” and to produce actionable, prioritized strategies with clear responsibilities and timelines. At present the DDA and City have not released the exact dates, times, or locations for the late-March meeting series, and the calendar date for the library parking open house remains unspecified; public input gathered in those sessions will feed the prioritized action plan intended to guide Downtown investment in the coming decades.