As a compliment to other downtown road improvements, College Avenue may transition to a pedestrian-only mall or a one-way street with expanded sidewalk space.
“One of those two will definitely happen,” said Mayor Ron Rordam. “I think it will either be one way or closed altogether, and I’m torn between which one. We have to do a traffic study. In my heart, I would love to see it be closed and to become just a pedestrian mall, but in terms of traffic flow, we aren’t quite sure yet.”
Steve Miller, owner of Mish-Mish and member of the project’s steering committee, said a traffic study was completed in the spring, but results have not yet been reported. From that study, Miller said the town would determine if the road could be closed or which way traffic should flow.
“I think it has great potential, but one of the criteria is that we get a parking garage at the site of the current Squires (Student Center) lot,” Miller said.
The current plans call for the road to be closed from its intersection with Otey Street in front of Squires to the intersection with Main Street. A temporary estimate made in Blacksburg’s 2009 review of the comprehensive plan said the project would cost about $2.5 million.
“The latest proposal was that College Avenue would be designed to be closed, but be available for one-way traffic,” Miller said.
A lack of parking could prohibit the road from closing completely.
Miller said Draper Road would also be partially closed in the project, and the entrance to the proposed parking garage would be near She-Sha Cafe & Hookah Lounge.
If the garage is not built, Miller said College Avenue would feature parking on the Henderson Hall lawn side.
Rordam is hopeful the project will give businesses, such as the Lyric and downtown restaurants, enticing business opportunities.
“If it can’t be closed, it will be one-way, and the sidewalks will be expanded,” Rordam said. “That will give more opportunity to put tables out, and if we can’t close it 24 hours a day, my goal is that as we redo College Avenue — we have bollards that are in place that go into the ground and come out. So, five o’clock on Friday, it’s closed.”
Miller said the change would offer more opportunities for the town to host events such as the Downtown Tailgate, an event held prior to the Nebraska football game this September.
“We could do a lot more of those things if the street were available to be closed or closed completely,” Miller said.
He said more day-to-day benefits would fall to restaurants on the street that would be able to add outdoor dining.
Citizen reaction at a public hearing showed enthusiasm for the project, Miller said.
“When we did the public hearing and they presented the different scenarios, the public voted overwhelmingly to close College Avenue,” Miller said.
Other infrastructure issues also must be resolved, including emergency vehicle access.
Miller said curbs would likely be flattened to offer a more pedestrian-friendly area.