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Almost 50 years ago, a group of local leaders had a vision for how they wanted downtown Grand Junction to look.
They made their vision a reality — and Operation Foresight, as the project was called back then, gained national attention.
It was held up as an example of how proper planning can enhance and improve a traditional downtown.
Anyone who’s enjoyed a stroll down Main Street in recent years can appreciate the foresight of the leaders of the past.
They did a great job, but after 47 years, some believe Main Street Grand Junction is looking a bit tired — and the Downtown Development Authority has $3.1 million budgeted to help wake it up.
By this fall, the agency hopes to have plans in place for a Main Street upgrade and it hopes to be putting the project out to bid.
Exactly what that upgrade is going to look like still needs to be determined, and in coming months the Downtown Development Authority will host public meetings and seek feedback from locals about what should be done in the heart of Grand Junction.
We hope local residents accept the invitation to be at the table when planning talks begin.
A few improvements likely to be made include updating the lighting, removing and replacing some of the unhealthy downtown trees, upgrading drainage and replacing crumbling planters.
But there are bigger ideas that planners want locals to consider, including:
• Adding play areas for children.
• Creating a venue for outdoor concerts and gatherings.
• Improving accessibility for disabled.
• Adding new public restrooms.
A bolder idea the Downtown Authority wants feedback on would be closing Main Street to auto traffic and creating a downtown mall similar to downtown Denver and Boulder.
The Downtown Development Authority would like to know if a mall is something residents would like to see soon or sometime in the future. They would also like to know on what scale it should be done — all of Main Street from Third to Seventh, or one or two blocks of Main Street?
Based on a meeting hosted by the Downtown Partnership with members of the local media this week, it appears now is the time to throw all ideas on the table.
Keep checking these pages in coming weeks and months for announcements about upcoming public meetings.
Then get out to the meetings and give your feedback on how you think downtown Grand Junction should look after its facelift.
The Grand Junction Free Press Editorial Board consists of publisher Valerie J. Smith, managing editor Josh Nichols community news editor Tracy Dvorak and night editor Steve Lysaker.
They made their vision a reality — and Operation Foresight, as the project was called back then, gained national attention.
It was held up as an example of how proper planning can enhance and improve a traditional downtown.
Anyone who’s enjoyed a stroll down Main Street in recent years can appreciate the foresight of the leaders of the past.
They did a great job, but after 47 years, some believe Main Street Grand Junction is looking a bit tired — and the Downtown Development Authority has $3.1 million budgeted to help wake it up.
By this fall, the agency hopes to have plans in place for a Main Street upgrade and it hopes to be putting the project out to bid.
Exactly what that upgrade is going to look like still needs to be determined, and in coming months the Downtown Development Authority will host public meetings and seek feedback from locals about what should be done in the heart of Grand Junction.
We hope local residents accept the invitation to be at the table when planning talks begin.
A few improvements likely to be made include updating the lighting, removing and replacing some of the unhealthy downtown trees, upgrading drainage and replacing crumbling planters.
But there are bigger ideas that planners want locals to consider, including:
• Adding play areas for children.
• Creating a venue for outdoor concerts and gatherings.
• Improving accessibility for disabled.
• Adding new public restrooms.
A bolder idea the Downtown Authority wants feedback on would be closing Main Street to auto traffic and creating a downtown mall similar to downtown Denver and Boulder.
The Downtown Development Authority would like to know if a mall is something residents would like to see soon or sometime in the future. They would also like to know on what scale it should be done — all of Main Street from Third to Seventh, or one or two blocks of Main Street?
Based on a meeting hosted by the Downtown Partnership with members of the local media this week, it appears now is the time to throw all ideas on the table.
Keep checking these pages in coming weeks and months for announcements about upcoming public meetings.
Then get out to the meetings and give your feedback on how you think downtown Grand Junction should look after its facelift.
The Grand Junction Free Press Editorial Board consists of publisher Valerie J. Smith, managing editor Josh Nichols community news editor Tracy Dvorak and night editor Steve Lysaker.
