KEENE, NH – City Staff is looking to hire a consultant for the Westside Downtown Parking Structure Project.

City Engineer Don Lussier will appear before the Keene City Council Finance, Organization, and Personnel Committee Thursday evening to request that the City Manager be authorized to execute a contract with their chosen consultant to conduct a feasibility analysis and come up with a concept design for the project.

The project is part of the seven-year Capital Improvement Plan but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen, and if it does, it’s still a few years down the road.

According to the meeting agenda, the recent expansion of commercial activities in Downtown Keene, plus the city’s efforts to encourage higher density residential and mixed-use development have renewed interest in a parking structure on the west side of Main Street.

The fiscal year 2023 budget includes funding for an initial study and conceptual design phase. The goals of this initial phase include determining existing parking demand and identifying potential future demand, identifying project partners or parking tenants, developing a time-of-day parking demand model, determining the size of structure needed for both current and future needs, evaluating potential garage sites, developing conceptual plans, estimating the construction and operating costs, and developing a financial model for the construction and long-term operation of the structure.

The city advertised a request for proposals at the end of January and received four proposals from engineering firms. A selection team including Public Works, Parking and Economic Development Departments selected three to interview. That included Stantec, the consultant working on the Downtown Infrastructure Improvement and Reconstruction project, Walker Consultants, and Weston & Sampson Inc.

The selection team unanimously recommended Weston & Sampson for the project.

Thursday’s FOP meeting will get underway at 6:00 in Council Chambers. It will also be streamed on the city’s website and Youtube Channel, and broadcast on Spectrum local access channel 1302.