City of Arvada Selects Dig Studio to Lead Olde Town Arvada Strategic Reinvestment Plan

From Mile High CRE - June 2, 2022

The City of Arvada has engaged Denver-based landscape architecture, urban planning and design firm Dig Studio on a Strategic Reinvestment Plan that includes the development of a shared 20-year vision for Olde Town Arvada, as well as a study into the feasibility of permanently maintaining street closures that have created a pedestrian experience on a three-block stretch of downtown.

“We’ve worked hard over the past 20 years to cultivate a vibrant downtown experience that supports thoughtful growth while maintaining the unique character and charm of Olde Town,” said Ryan Stachelski, director of community and economic development for the City of Arvada. “Our goal is to work with Dig Studio to build on those efforts with a comprehensive plan for our outdoor public spaces that takes into account the input of our community and our local businesses, and creates an actionable framework for future revitalization efforts.”

Over the past two years, the City of Arvada worked with the Olde Town Business Improvement District (BID) to close several of its downtown streets to vehicle traffic to accommodate additional outdoor dining and social distancing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine public response to the closures, the City completed a community survey and virtual open house in 2021. The project received overwhelming support, with approximately 90 percent of respondents in favor of keeping the streets closed.

With that feedback in mind, last year the City moved to make the closures “semi-permanent,” extending them for five years and investing in a number of initial placemaking improvements, including redoing crosswalks, adding medians, and placing more planters. Three large street murals were also commissioned through a partnership with the Olde Town BID and the Arvada Arts and Culture Commission.

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