Downtown's 2027 to-do list adds a dog park, a bike officer and a vacant-building ordinance

A dog park for loft dwellers, a police officer on a bicycle and a rule aimed at buildings that sit empty for years are on the list of what Denison's Main Street program wants to work on next year.

The Main Street Advisory Board meets at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at City Hall, 300 W. Main St., and is asked to approve its downtown work plan and "transformation strategies" for 2027. The board will also be asked to reaffirm its commitment to finishing the Designing Downtown Denison streetscape plan and to suggest refinements to the district's sidewalk dining guidelines.

Three priorities

The plan, prepared by Main Street Director Donna Dow and dated Nov. 10, is built around three themes: the streetscape, family-friendly entertainment and a healthy, clean and safe downtown.

Under the streetscape heading, the program would keep pushing to complete every phase of Designing Downtown Denison, which the plan says has been under construction since May 2024 and is expected to run through 2028. Its definition of success includes a convention center on the 700 block of Main Street as part of the project's third phase.

The entertainment section sets a goal of 93% occupancy on ground floors and calls for recruiting restaurants, nightlife and family-focused businesses. It lists finishing a Vacant Building Ordinance and presenting it to the City Council, setting up a city listing of downtown short-term rentals, and pursuing a railroad quiet zone where the tracks cross Main Street.

Safety and livability

The third section carries the largest dollar figures. The plan assigns $50,000 to increasing police presence downtown, including advocating for a dedicated bicycle officer, and $75,000 to making the district more livable for loft residents with a dog park, more lighting in alleys and public spaces, and better parking. It notes the dog park is "coming soon."

Another $500,000 is tied to bike lanes, sidewalks and trail links such as the Ike Hike and Katy Trail master plan projects.

The same section lists continued work on homelessness concerns, a push for safer pedestrian crossings of Austin Avenue and restarting The Crew, a volunteer cleanup group.

The strategy document describes downtown as home to more than 200 independently owned businesses, 144 pieces of public art and 681 events a year.

Sources

denisontx.api.civicclerk.com