Chico officials weigh revote to revive stalled downtown street redesign

Chico officials are weighing whether to bring back a downtown street redesign that twice deadlocked at City Council and now faces a June state grant deadline. The Downtown Revitalization Project would remake parts of Main Street and Broadway with bike infrastructure, wider sidewalks, pedestrian upgrades and other streetscape changes, according to the city’s project page. Supporters have mounted a public push for a new vote after the council split 3-3 on April 7 and again on April 21, leaving the proposal without approval. ### Why is the project back in discussion after it already failed twice? April 21 is the date supporters point to as the latest setback. North State Public Radio reported that the second tie vote effectively sank the proposal, and a community campaign later emerged urging residents to call council members and ask that the item be returned to the agenda. (chicoca.gov) Addison Winslow, one of three council members who backed the plan, told NSPR the city is running up against a June deadline tied to state funding for what he described as a roughly $40 million to $50 million project. The Save Downtown Chico campaign says the deadline is June 22 for the current Active Transportation Program cycle. (mynspr.org) ### What exactly would change on Main Street and Broadway? The City of Chico says the project covers the Main and Broadway corridors from 1st Street to Humboldt Road, along with several connecting downtown streets. Planned improvements may include new bicycle infrastructure, enhanced sidewalks, safer pedestrian crossings and landscaping, the city says. (mynspr.org) Alternative 1 became the flashpoint in April. ChicoSol reported that option would create protected one-way bike lanes on Main Street and Broadway by removing one of three lanes, while requiring the loss of one parking space. A city overview of the earlier Complete Streets version says the project is also intended to close gaps in bicycle infrastructure and improve connectivity in north and south downtown. (chicoca.gov) That description remained on city materials after the project was renamed the Downtown Revitalization Project. ### Who is split over the plan? April 21 drew 70 public speakers, with about two-thirds backing the plan, ChicoSol reported. (chicosol.org) The same report said Mayor Kasey Reynolds, Vice Mayor Dale Bennett and Councilmember Michael O’Brien voted no, while Winslow, Bryce Goldstein and Katie Hawley voted yes. Councilmember Tom van Overbeek recused himself because he owns downtown property. (chicoca.gov) Enloe Health emerged as a prominent opponent during the later debate. ChicoSol reported that Suzie Lawry-Hall, Enloe’s director of marketing and community outreach, told the council Main and Broadway provide the quickest access from the south and west of downtown and toward Durham, and said the hospital believed its concerns had not been adequately considered. (chicosol.org) Downtown business owners also objected. NSPR reported that some said fewer traffic lanes could complicate truck deliveries and that construction could hurt already strained businesses. ### Why does the June deadline matter so much? June 22 is the date repeatedly cited by supporters because it is tied to the state Active Transportation Program application window for the current cycle. (chicosol.org) ChicoSol reported that without approval the city would miss the grant opportunity that would fund a majority of the Alternative 1 project, excluding landscaping, and that the city would still need to provide a 12% to 20% local match. (mynspr.org) The Save Downtown Chico campaign says missing that deadline would push the city to Cycle 9, about two years later. That timing claim comes from advocates, not from a posted city agenda report reviewed here. ### Has Chico scheduled the revote yet? As of May 16, no revote was listed in the city’s publicly visible council calendar. NSPR reported on May 1 that no re-vote had been scheduled, and Chico’s Granicus meeting page showed the next confirmed council meeting for May 19, 2026. (chicosol.org) April 7 and April 21 are the two meetings that already carried the downtown item. (savedowntownchico.org) The April 7 meeting materials list “Downtown Revitalization Project - Alternatives,” and the April 21 meeting listing shows the same item continued from the earlier session. May 19, 2026, is the next dated milestone visible on Chico’s council calendar, and any renewed vote would need to be posted on a future city agenda before council could act. (mynspr.org) (chico-ca.granicus.com) (chico-ca.granicus.com)