Public Hearing for Downtown Master Plan Tonight

The Yakima City Council wants to hear what you think about the Downtown Master Plan when it meets tonight at city hall.

City Manager Tony O'Rourke says the proposal includes the creation of a downtown plaza where a parking lot is located next to Chestnut Ave. between Second and Third St.

O’Rourke says the plaza is something that's happened in many other communities. “Plazas are working and have made big impacts on many cites around the state.”

Those communities include Walla Walla, Bend, Ore. and Missoula, Mon. Places that O'Rourke wants city council members to visit in the near future to see how a plaza has transformed the area.

O'Rourke says the city may design the plaza so it could be used for some parking when there are no events happening.

The council meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.. The council is set to vote on the downtown master plan on November 19th.