Downtown Plaza Design Now in City Council’s Hands

What's next in the work to create a plaza in downtown Yakima?

On Tuesday a design team presented five different designs for a plaza and heard from city officials and members of the public.

One of the designers, Andy Brown of the Seattle firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, says now they are waiting for the city to focus on one design. Then, he says, they will refine that proposal.

The goal is to present our final design in October. But that all depends on how quickly the city gets back to us.

Between now and then the city will be reviewing the proposals and seeking more public input. Brown says no matter what design the city chooses they hope to include things that everyone wants downtown like parking, shade, water features and seating.

On Tuesday the Yakima City Council held a public meeting to get more input on the five proposed designs and will use the comments to help choose one design to focus on in the future.