Downtown Master Plan

Hartz Avenue Area Road Closures November 11 to 14

Paving project will close Hartz Avenue and adjacent side streets in phases.

The Town of Danville will repave Hartz Avenue and adjacent side streets the week of November 11, as part of the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project. Due to recent forecasts of temperatures dropping below 50 degrees, paving will occur during daytime hours, temporarily closing portions of School Street, Church Street, Prospect Avenue, Diablo Road and Linda Mesa Avenue adjacent to Hartz Avenue, as well as Hartz Avenue between Railroad Avenue and Linda Mesa Avenue.

The Catalyst Project is nearing the end of a 7-month schedule, representing a $4.9 million investment in safety and gathering space improvements Downtown. Paving was originally planned for overnight, but colder temperatures affect asphalt compaction, leading to potential cracking and potholes if paving proceeds in suboptimal conditions. A revised plan has been put in place to complete the project efficiently while minimizing disruption.

In addition to overnight closures on Monday night for surface grinding, the daytime road closures for laying and compacting asphalt will be limited and phased. Side streets will be closed near Hartz Avenue starting Monday at 9 p.m. through Tuesday evening (see map). Hartz Avenue will be closed starting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening.

Paving Project Schedule:

• Monday, November 11: Surface grinding of adjacent side streets (School, Church, Prospect, Diablo, Linda Mesa) and Hartz Avenue will occur overnight.
• Tuesday, November 12: Hartz Avenue will reopen to traffic by 7:30 a.m. Adjacent side streets will remain closed for paving during the day and will reopen in the evening.
• Wednesday, November 13: Hartz Avenue will close at 8:30 a.m. for daytime paving and is expected reopen to vehicle traffic in the evening.
• Thursday, November 14: Some outstanding paving tasks may be completed early in the day, with Hartz Avenue and side streets expected to be open.

The Town is committed to using all available resources to expedite the paving work and minimize inconvenience. Drivers should avoid the area during the project, using Front Street and Railroad Avenue as alternate routes.

Summer is almost officially over, and the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project is nearing an end as well.

This past month has seen forward progress at Linda Mesa and Prospect Avenue along Hartz Avenue. The corner near Cottage Jewel has been primarily completed, with brick work wrapping up. Brick work will start soon at the corner near Bluemercury and Amphora Nueva, with the concrete work completed there.

Light poles are being installed along the project area, to footings that were complete as each corner was worked on. Lighting is a key component of the Catalyst Project, to improve safety and visitor experience Downtown. Safety will further be enhanced with raised intersections along Hartz Avenue at Linda Mesa and Prospect Avenues, and you will see silver bollards in place around those intersections. These bollards will protect pedestrians, and will also be lit at night.

Work is starting at the Prospect Park Plaza near Starbucks, bringing an enhanced gathering and performance space Downtown. That area will be closed for about a month during construction, but the surrounding sidewalks will be open during that time.

Thank you to the local businesses and residents for their patience as we make these significant enhancements to our Downtown area. Take a walk Downtown this weekend and check out the progress!

Summer is wrapping up, and so is work at Hartz Avenue and Linda Mesa for the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project. Brickwork, concrete pouring, and some demolition happened at three of the four corners this week. This follows work primarily completed at School Street, Church Street and Diablo Road.

Next week, we plan on completing the sidewalk concrete pour at Chicago Title and demolition at the corner near Hazy Barbecue, SPENGA, and Eye For Pretty At Home. With school starting Wednesday, the goal is to have this work complete by the end of the day Tuesday, so there will not be large equipment near the roadways during school traffic.

When school starts, crews are going to work on other projects for a few days, to give harried parents and teen drivers a worry-free path of travel through Downtown. Work along Hartz Avenue will pause Wednesday-Friday next week, and resume Monday, August 19.

Thank you to the local businesses and residents for their patience as we make these significant enhancements to our Downtown area. Take a walk Downtown this weekend and check out the progress!

The Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project is nearing an initial milestone, with the Kiwanis-Danville 4th of July parade approaching. The project remains on schedule, with several key aspects completed at the School Street, Church Street, and Diablo Road intersections along Hartz Avenue.

June 14: Curb realignment at Diablo Road

Curb realignment to create safety-related "bulb outs" and accessibility improvements have been completed at these intersections, as well as brickwork to tie the enhanced corners to existing Downtown sidewalk designs. All work scheduled to be completed by the parade is on track, with only one corner at School Street still in progress as of today.

For the parade, all active work will be complete, and sidewalks will be open for visitors. The private development at 600 Hartz will also move its fencing back to open that sidewalk across from School Street.

Starting July 8, construction will move to the intersection of Linda Mesa and Hartz Avenues. The target completion timeframe remains late fall, in time for the winter holiday season.

Thank you to the local businesses and residents for their patience as we make these significant enhancements to our Downtown area. Take a walk Downtown this weekend and check out the progress! To learn more about the project and provide feedback, visit www.danvilletowntalks.org or follow the Town on Facebook and Instagram.

Over the past two months, significant progress has been made on the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project, and we are happy to report that the project is on schedule. Major concrete work and curb realignment is complete at the corners of Hartz & Church and Hartz & School. New concrete has been poured on the Patelco corner of Hartz & Diablo, with work on the Primo's corner continuing the second week of June (after graduation week). Footings for new street lights have been poured at five locations. Plywood coverings were set to allow pedestrian access to corners while the brick work was scheduled.

This week, plywood came up and bricks went down at Hartz Avenue at Church Street (closest to Good Common Sense Naturals), and at Hartz Avenue and School Street (southwest corner). Next week, we'll continue on the remaining corners at Church and School, with each corner estimated to take 2-4 days. Work at the corners at Hartz Avenue & Diablo Road near Patelco and Primo’s will resume June 10 with brickwork at Patelco and concrete work near Primo’s. We are aiming to have brick work completed at Hartz and Church, School, and Diablo by July 4. Thank you to the local businesses and residents for their patience as we make these significant enhancements to our Downtown area. Take a walk Downtown this weekend and check out the progress! To learn more about the project and provide feedback, visit www.danvilletowntalks.org.

Investment in Downtown includes safety and gathering improvements

The first phase of the Downtown Master Plan is called the “Catalyst Project” because not only will it be the first of future phases, but the Town seeks to continually invigorate the Downtown area by fostering safe and welcoming spaces for gathering and entertainment.

Slated to start the first of April and conclude in late fall, the project serves as a catalyst for building community in Danville. The construction plan prioritizes continued access and enjoyment of Downtown Danville over the course of the project:

• All businesses will remain open and accessible.
• Hartz Avenue will remain open, with minimal closures for paving.
• When paving happens, it will be overnight.
• Construction will be in phases, intersection-by-intersection.
• Most construction activities will happen Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Downtown community events will go on as scheduled, with modifications.

As construction progresses, the Town welcomes feedback and questions about the project.

For more information, check out the DMP Catalyst Project Flier and the 03.08.24 Press Release

At the February 20 Town Council Regular Meeting, Town Council awarded the construction contract for the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project to Grade Tech, Inc. following a public bid process seeking proposals. The project represents a significant investment in the historic Downtown Danville, and will serve to support pedestrian traffic and community gathering in direct response to community priorities expressed in an expansive survey. The bid amount was just over $4.1 million, in line with engineering estimates provided to the Town prior to bid.

Town staff will work with the contractor to outline an initial project phasing plan, as well as an extensive public outreach campaign. Work is expected to be completed intersection-by-intersection, in phases, to minimize impacts on local businesses and downtown traffic. In addition to providing community updates through the project page at www.danvilletowntalks.org, the Town will also hold meetings with local business owners to discuss project phasing.

Construction was originally slated for late spring but may start earlier. The initial Catalyst Project is part of a nine-component strategy to enhance the historic downtown. This component includes traffic calming and beautification improvements at five intersections along Hartz Avenue, from School Street to Linda Mesa Avenue, as well as improvements near the Village Theatre. Construction is expected to be complete in late fall.

The Catalyst Project represents the culmination of a years-long planning effort to revitalize the downtown experience and adapt to evolving community needs. The initial project responds to the highest priorities highlighted in the Danville 2022 Downtown Master Plan Update: more community gathering space, stronger connections to and through downtown, enhancing pedestrian safety, and opportunities to incorporate arts and culture. The 2022 update was developed after significant public input that included a survey, public meetings, and stakeholder interviews.

The Downtown Master Plan Civil and Landscape design plans are 100% complete, finalizing the Design Phase of the DMP Catalyst Project. The project is now moving into the Construction phase, and the Town has published the construction bid packet on the Town’s website for review.

Newspaper notifications for the bid were published on Friday, December 22 to notify construction companies of the project. The bid opening has been scheduled for February 13. The Award of Contract is scheduled for the Town Council meeting on February 20.

The final engineering design plans and bid package are nearing completion! The Town is expected to be ready to put the project out to bid in January 2024. At a recent Study Session, the Town Council provided direction for the project construction to begin as early as feasible – which is estimated to be late spring 2024. After the holidays, the Town will undertake a comprehensive community outreach effort about the upcoming construction.

Final Design Renderings (11.21.23)

On today's Town Talks with the Mayor, Assistant Town Manager Tai Williams and Transportation Manager Andy Dillard joined Mayor Robert Storer to review the schematic designs for the Downtown master Plan Catalyst Project. A recording of the event is on the Town's Facebook page, and the presentation can be downloaded here.