Yakima council offers peek at downtown plaza design

Posted on October 7, 2014

YAKIMA, Wash. The conceptual design for Yakimas proposed downtown plaza unveiled Monday night features a small canal, sprinklers for kids to splash in, space for concerts and outdoor movies, shade trees, sitting areas, outdoor patios behind Yakima Avenue restaurants and a long, covered porch to shade outdoor markets.

The flexible design could host an ice rink in the winter, one big festival or lots of small events at once, said lead designer Kathryn Gustafson.

Gustafson, who was raised in Yakima and is now a world-renowned landscape architect whose designs include the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London, told the crowd this design was inspired by the importance of irrigation to the community.

Reaction to Gustafsons presentation was largely positive among the 50 people gathered at The Seasons Performance Hall.

I think this is an incredible opportunity for our city and our future, said Bridget Russel, whose remarks were followed by a loud round of applause. A man who said that the design team did a good job listening to residents concerns and mitigating potential problems got a large round of applause as well.

Gustafson will present the final design plan to the Yakima City Council Tuesday evening. If it approves it, the next step would be to seek bids on a contract for the engineering work necessary to construct it.

But the plaza discussion could continue for up to a year before any construction gets underway. The City Council previously approved putting the final design to an advisory vote in the August 2015 primary elections, although some council members have hinted they want to renege on that plan.

Under the plan unveiled Monday, the plaza would be constructed on the parking lot across South Third Street from the Capitol Theatre. The location has been controversial, with some residents and business owners concerned about lost parking and traffic to nearby businesses.

But, the designers and the city say theyve found a solution. By switching parking on adjacent streets from parallel to angled spaces, more than 100 new parking spaces can be built to replace those lost. Within a one-block area, parking spaces would be reduced by just one from the current 417 spaces.

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Yakima council offers peek at downtown plaza design