• Revitalizing
    our Downtown

The Downtown Revitalization Project

The City of Sandpoint is set to begin the next chapter for revitalizing the Downtown Core area. The City adopted the Downtown Streets Plan and Design Guide.  In 2012 improvements were made to Church Street, Third and Fourth Avenues between Pine and Church. The next step in implementing the Plan will be the reconstruction of Cedar Street between Fifth and Second Avenues. The project will provide wider sidewalks with street furniture, storm gardens to treat stormwater before discharging to Sand Creek and Pend Oreille River, places for public art and new landscaping. With funding from the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency and a Idaho Community Development Block Grant awarded by the Idaho Department of Commerce, the City will see the first phase of the project transform the Downtown into a new and welcoming environment for people to rediscover all of what Downtown Sandpoint has to offer.  Phase 1 construction of the project on Cedar Street between 2nd and 5th Avenues will begin shortly following the annual “Lost in the 50’s” event occurring May 17th-19th.

Why the Change?

  • Further downtown as a year-round destination for residents and visitors.
  • Support local business growth.
  • Improve the environmental health of the city and its watershed.
  • Create a streetscape that is safe, accessible and comfortable for pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
  • Provide parking for automobiles, delivery vehicles and bicycles to support local merchants.
  • Enhance the experience of downtown by incorporating public art, landscaping and aesthetically pleasing materials.
  • Balance long-term maintenance costs with the desire for a high-quality, pedestrian-oriented streetscape.
  • Help bicyclists safely and efficiently connect to and through downtown from surrounding neighborhoods.

Open for Business!

Despite the construction, businesses are open and a lot is going on in Sandpoint this Summer!

> For a free Summer Guide, click here!

Green Streets :: How They Work

Integrating Community Art

Streetscapes

Project Goals

The City of Sandpoint is committed to ensuring the downtown remains open and vital during the project construction phases to limit any disruption in business and community. We will provide multiple and ongoing public opportunities for comment during design and provide conceptual designs for individual city blocks and initiatives. We will improve the look and feel of downtown as a destination for residents and visitors alike—implementing more wayfinding and ensuring inclusion of ped/bike, deliveries, transit and parking.

Community Involvement
Being Time Concious
Visual Improvement
Stormwater Solutions
Green Streets

HOW DID WE GET HERE? Downtown Planning Retrospective

  1. 2001
  2. 2001
  3. 2003
  4. 2004
  5. 2004-05
  6. 2005
  7. 2007
  8. 2009
  9. 2010
  10. 2010
  11. 2011
  12. 2011
  13. 2012
  14. 2013
  15. 2016

  1. SAND CREEK CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

    SAND CREEK CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN | 2001

    Coordinates the planning of the Sand Creek area with the design and construction of the Highway 95 Byway.

    Resulting Community Priorities

    • Marina pedestrian bridge crossing
    • Sand Creek dam at railroad bridge or other location
    • Shoreline park with sculpture garden
    • East shoreline trail extension from Bridge Street to Cedar Street

  2. HUDSON DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PLAN

    HUDSON DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PLAN | 2001

    The rerouting of Highways 2 and 95 create an imperative for reclaiming downtown streets for local use.

    Recommendations

    • Return 1st and Cedar to 2-way traffic
    • Explore Pine Street connection options
    • Avoid one-way couplet options in downtown
    • Improve the pedestrian realm with trees, plantings, ADA access, lighting, and other amenities
    • Develop gateways at 5th/Cedar and 1st/Pine

  3. DOWNTOWN STREETS REVITALIZATION PHASE 1 COMPLETED

    DOWNTOWN STREETS REVITALIZATION PHASE 1 COMPLETED | 2003

    Improvements include 12-foot sidewalks, curb extensions with ADA ramps, street trees with irrigation system, lighting, and select mid-block crossings.

  4. SANDPOINT DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION REPORT (JUB)

    SANDPOINT DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION REPORT (JUB) | 2004

    Recommends a proactive approach to reclaiming downtown streets in conjunction with the Byway project.

    Divides recommendations into four phases covering 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007.

    Downtown Recommendations

    • Improve City parking lot conditions
    • Refurbish Farmin Park and Jeff Jones Plaza
    • Foster connections between the Downtown Core and Sand Creek
    • Improve streetscape amenities including sidewalks, curb extensions, lighting, and trees/planting

  5. DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT PARKING HANDBOOK (TOM HUDSON)

    DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT PARKING HANDBOOK (TOM HUDSON) | 2004 - 05

    Findings

    • High occupancy rates in downtown parking between 1st and 3rd

    • Perception of lack of available capacity because parking is often not adjacent to destinations/businesses

    • Many off-street lots are poorly maintained and uninviting, especially to visitors and tourists

    Recommendations

    • Enhance signage and gateways, improve wayfinding

    • Improve pedestrian connections between parking and destinations

    • Clarify on-street parking locations and regulations

  6. SANDPOINT DOWNTOWN REVENUE ALLOCATION AREA PLAN

    SANDPOINT DOWNTOWN REVENUE ALLOCATION AREA PLAN | 2005

    An urban renewal plan for revitalizing Downtown Sandpoint with a focus on project implementation.

    Recommendations

    • Parking Management Plan, redevelop the City parking lot

    • Streetscape improvements (based on JUB study) including

  7. URBAN AREA TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR 2026

    URBAN AREA TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR 2026 | 2007

    Comprehensive transportation planning for Dover, Sandpoint, Kootenai, Ponderay, and the Independent Highway District.

    Select Recommendations

    • Assists the ITD in setting project priorities for highways
    • Implement projects to serve the transportation disadvantages
    • Ensure that transportation facilities preserve natural, cultural, and historic qualities of the area
    • Develop and adopt unified street design standards

  8. SANDPOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

    SANDPOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN | 2009 

    A 20-year development and planning guide for Sandpoint and the vicinity.

    Key Streetscape Goals

    • Enhance civic, cultural, entertainment, and government uses in downtown
    • Reduce the visual prominence of automobiles in parking locations
    • Develop a primary non-motorized network to connect key institutions, schools, parks, and downtown
    • Plan for increase bicycle and pedestrian travel in and around downtown and along recreational routes

  9. DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT URBAN RENEWAL PLAN

    DOWNTOWN SANDPOINT URBAN RENEWAL PLAN | 2010

    Strategic financing of downtown core improvement projects

    Generates Fund to Benefit:

    • Street, ROW, and infrastructure improvements
    • Parks and open space, pedestrian walkways
    • Parking reorganization
    • Bicycle access improvements
    • Planning and design of underdeveloped parcels

  10. CITY OF SANDPOINT ADOPTS COMPLETE STREETS POLICY

    CITY OF SANDPOINT ADOPTS COMPLETE STREETS POLICY | 2010

    Policies

    • Mandates adequate bicycle and pedestrian provisions in all construction and reconstruction projects unless significant safety or technical challenges exist
    • Emphasizes pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access improvements within streets projects

  11. 2nd AVENUE STREETSCAPE REBUILD COMPLETE

    2011

    2nd AVENUE STREETSCAPE REBUILD COMPLETE and SAND CREEK LANDING (NORTH) COMPLETE

  12. “THE CURVE” HIGHWAY 2 CONCEPT REPORT

    “THE CURVE” HIGHWAY 2 CONCEPT REPORT | 2011

    Existing conditions, goals, and alternatives in the exploration of options for rerouting Highway 2 along the west side of downtown.

    Goals

    • Provide safe and efficient bicycle and pedestrian mobility along the corridor
    • Provide safe automobile movement along the corridor
    • Preserve existing features valued by the community, extend urban forest along the corridor, and match the aesthetic design of Sandpoint

  13. HIGHWAY 95 BYWAY AND SAND CREEK IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETE

    2012

    HIGHWAY 95 BYWAY AND SAND CREEK IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETE

  14. DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN & DESIGN GUIDE

    2013

    DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN & DESIGN GUIDE

    The adopted concept plan for the downtown streets based on public feedback, urban design framework analysis and street “typologies”.

    Design Principles

    • Pedestrian safety and access
    • Pedestrian amenities
    • Trees and landscaping
    • Sustainability
    • Maintenance
    • Parking
    • Bicycle safety and access
    • Character and identity
    • Year-round activity
    • Cost-effectiveness

  15. HWY 2-200 CORRIDOR STUDY

    2016

    QUAD CITIES

    HWY 2-200 CORRIDOR STUDY

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