Tess Harris, the State Street master planner in the city administrator’s office, told the Access Advisory Committee that staff has shifted consultants and is speeding toward a public draft of the State Street master plan in 2026 focused on a three‑block city‑center between Ortega and Carrillo streets.

Harris said the city hired Stefanos Palozhoides to help advance a design that emphasizes a “flat and flexible” street — removing curbs on those central blocks so the street surface reads from building frontage to building frontage and can be used flexibly for events, circulation and pedestrian space.

The plan also includes a concurrent feasibility analysis of stormwater capture for those blocks because that section currently lacks a storm‑drain system. Harris said staff is studying in‑street stormwater capture and an in‑lieu fund that would allow businesses to contribute to a shared public system instead of building private stormwater systems on tight downtown parcels.

The committee spent substantial time on a pilot shuttle that has been operating while the master plan proceeds. Harris reported that the pilot has carried 16,122 riders over roughly five months (about 710 riders per weekend), running Thursday through Sunday, noon–7 p.m. She said the program shows an almost even split of local and visitor riders and important accessibility usage: “On average, we have about 60 to 85 passengers weekly that use it that have some kind of accommodation,” including roughly 10–15 weekly wheelchair users, about 15–25 trips by passengers with visual impairments, and 20–30 weekly riders using mobility aids.

Committee members asked for more detail about subsidy and operations. Harris said the city’s contract cost for the first six months was a little under $100,000 and that Friends of State Street subsidized part of the pilot; she did not have a precise dollar figure for the Friends’ share and cautioned the committee not to quote an unverified number.

Members also raised accessibility and safety questions about the leased golf‑cart vehicles: staff confirmed the carts were leased rather than owned by the city and that the operator had implemented modifications requested after committee review, but structural changes (for example, raising the cart roof) were not feasible for leased vehicles.

Committee members proposed alternatives — including using MTD’s larger electric shuttles or a smaller open‑air trolley if parts were obtainable — and urged clearer signage and outreach so riders and tourists know where stops are and how to flag a cart. Harris said staff plans outreach to hoteliers and downtown stakeholders and will consider repainting pavement markers and improving stop signage ahead of the holiday season.

Why it matters: the State Street master plan aims to change the character of downtown circulation and street design and links those design choices to stormwater infrastructure, accessibility and downtown economic activity. The shuttle pilot’s ridership and the identified ADA usage figures are evidence staff will use to calibrate operational choices for whatever transit mode the city adopts in the long term.

Next steps: staff expects to deliver a draft master plan for public review in early 2026, return to the State Street Advisory Committee and the Access Advisory Committee for feedback, and continue the shuttle pilot month‑to‑month while pursuing a request for proposals for longer‑term service.