The City of Alamosa is the county seat of south-central Colorado’s Alamosa County, home to about 10,000 residents. With a downtown situated just west of the Rio Grande River, Alamosa was historically a major railroad center for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. It’s now a regional hub for retail, service and medical facilities, and home to Adams State University and Trinidad State Junior College. It’s also a gateway to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

A key recommendation in the City’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan update was a more detailed design effort for the historic core of the downtown. Community members overwhelmingly conveyed a simple message: the downtown is a critical element in the economic growth, quality of life and historic character of the community.

The Downtown Design Plan now provides a framework for reinvigorating the Main Street of Alamosa’s downtown and implementing safe pedestrian crossings, a new Festival Street and Cultural Trail, improved bicycle facilities and a sequence of dynamic public spaces tailored for the community. 

MIG facilitated the public engagement process, provided technical and design expertise, and prepared the final implementation plan, including branding, mapping, urban design and retail activation components of this process. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) collaborated to develop a preferred design concept for Main Street and Sixth Street that better balances the corridor’s role as both SH 160 and the community’s gathering place.

Winner of a 2020 Colorado Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence, Best of Planning.