The City of Coon Rapids invited downtown business owners to discuss potential projects for the streetscape on Monday evening. ISG Civil Engineer for the project, Joey Whitehouse, presented an overview of the different avenues the city could take to improve transportation and the overall of Main Street. Community Coordinator Katie Mason says the idea to complete the streetscape came from a previous study conducted on Coon Rapids back in 2018. Still, the city needed more time to prepare for a project of this size.
The main goal of the streetscape is to address the stormwater run-off to help with the water flooding the main street during heavy rains. The project also looks at new street lighting and ensures buildings follow Americans with Disabilities (ADA) accessibility guidelines. One thing that will remain the same is the center street parking currently available for vehicles after a pushback from community members. Mason says the streetscape project will look at all different components to improve Main Street Coon Rapids.
There has been discussion of replacing the 100-year-old water pipes shared between businesses in the area. That depends on how much concrete and street will be removed and replaced. Mason says the businesses downtown are excited to see this project’s potential, but there is also some concern.
Mason says a task force of representatives from the local utilities, street department, city, Main Street Coon Rapids non-profit, business, and community members are working on this project to ensure this will all be an excellent fit for the town. The City of Coon Rapids will release more information about a town hall for residents to come voice opinions and concerns later this spring.
