City of Laramie launches community dialogue to address downtown parking, accessibility

LARAMIE — In an effort to enhance downtown parking and improve accessibility, city officials took an important step by hosting the first neighborhood open house meetings designed to gather public feedback Thursday evening at the historic Laramie Railroad Depot.

The event marked a significant beginning for much-needed community dialogue aimed at addressing long-standing issues in the area.

“This is our first neighborhood meeting, inviting the public to come and provide initial feedback on the project study, which is collecting input about parking and ADA improvements to 1st Street and Depot Park area,” Parks, Recreation and Public Services Director Michael Bork said. “What we’re hoping from the meeting that we had earlier today and then this one tonight is to gather feedback from the neighborhood, from local business owners, from whoever decides to show up and provide feedback on issues they want to help identify or suggestions for improvements. Norris Design is going to take that information and put it into the general broader scope of the study.”

During the two open house sessions on Thursday, participants were not just passive listeners but were encouraged to actively engage in the conversation. They expressed their thoughts and suggestions by writing on a large notepad and were also invited to offer specific ideas on sticky notes, which they affixed to a large overview photo of 1st Street.

“I really believe in robust community engagement, and so really, it needs to be multiple different modes,” Bork said. “At some point, once a plan is put together, there will be some more presentation style. But this is really the information gathering phase. We want to make sure that we have as much relevant data, input, suggestions, identifying things that the designer or the city may not even be aware of.”

Norris Design, an engineering firm based in Denver, has been entrusted with leading the initiative. The firm intends to use the insights gathered during the open houses to inform future planning efforts.

Bork and other city staff also noted that parking has become a persistent challenge for both residents and visitors in the downtown area. There was a shared optimism that the meetings and future construction will pave the way for the development of more effective parking.

“We hope that the community continues to engage through this process,” Bork said. “This is the very early stage. There will be other opportunities for the public to provide feedback as plans start to come together. It’s a long-term strategy. We’re not trying to make quick fixes.

“We’re really trying to identify the issues, whether it’s parking along 1st Street or traffic flow. It's also about the ADA improvements. That’s a huge priority of mine and my department, taking care of parks and recreation public services, providing equal access for everybody in the community.”

While plans are not firmly established at this early stage, Bork expressed confidence that additional meetings will occur as the conceptual design begins to take shape. The next steps will include taking all of the feedback into account as the Norris group begins redesigning 1st Street.

This story was published on April 5, 2025.