Times set for Sept. 16 sessions on downtown Carson City

City government wants your input on downtown Carson Street improvements during two 90-minute open house sessions Sept. 16, which are slated that Tuesday at mid-day and after work.

Those open house opportunities 10 days hence begin at noon and 5:30 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St. Lee Plemel, Carson City’s community development director, said in an announcement on the session times there will be a review of the prospective downtown Carson Street upgrade plans and city staff will be available to answer questions.

“Plans for downtown include wider sidewalks and enhanced landscaping,” he said in the release. “The plans will implement the vision for downtown that was adopted with the city’s Master Plan in 2006.”

Plemel said Friday there’s a $6.8 million estimate for the downtown street changes. It’s part of a package of capital improvement projects being done with bonds backed by a one-eighth of a penny city sales tax hike previously passed by the Board of Supervisors. There are four streetscape projects and three others, which include building construction or upgrades, that add to the cost.

The non-streetscape plans include a multi-purpose athletic center (MAC), an animal shelter and some culturally-oriented enhancements for the Community Center. The MAC is first with groundbreaking next year and a 2016 opening.

The streetscape projects also have a time line with the downtown project first.

“The (downtown) Carson Street improvement project is part of an overall plan to revitalize the commercial corridors throughout Carson City,” Plemel indicated. Downtown’s Carson Street upgrade is expected to have design continued next year, with work done in 2016. The city’s governing board and staff decided that’s best to avoid downtown work during a session of the Nevada Legislature, which meets next year.