Portland’s neighbor across the Columbia River is evolving so quickly that, if you don’t visit regularly, it might seem like someone simply waved a magic wand. Poof! There’s a shiny new waterfront. Poof! There’s another residential tower.
The city of Vancouver is now pointing that wand downtown and summoning a mighty spell of transformation.
This week, city leaders invited community members to a final open house session where they showcased City Council-approved designs to reconstruct Main Street from Fifth to 15th streets starting next spring.
City leaders aim to make Main Street a community and economic hub.
Rendering courtesy of First Forty Feet
Here are some of the changes that are in store:
- Replacement of diagonal parking spaces with curbside parking
- Widened sidewalks with room for outdoor restaurant seating
- Improved safety + accessibility features like inlaid sidewalk strips for visually impaired pedestrians
- New street lighting, landscaping, and infrastructure for events that would close side streets to traffic
- New underground utility lines
Construction is slated to be completed no later than winter 2025.