To keep downtown Salida thriving, city council members adopted a guiding document Monday night outlining potential steps to keep it a cultural, social and economic center.

Called the Historic Downtown Improvement and Economic Sustainability Plan, the document results from a January retreat when downtown property owners, residents and business owners outlined their vision.

The Coming Together for Our Town retreat was spearheaded by a volunteer group and the downtown plan was written by some of the same volunteers.

Monday night the plan was presented by Leslie Walker, owner of Salida Reality and a member of the Our Town group.

The plan is a 15-20 year guideline Walker believes will help public and private entities achieve the end result - to keep downtown strong.

The city isn't required to pay for or execute any portion of the plan, but Walker encouraged council members to use it when making budget decisions, saying it's the result of public input and vision.

The plan will help the city obtain grants to pay for potential projects for which it isn't currently eligible.

The plan is divided into eight categories: buildings; transportation, traffic and parking; events, activities, recreation and entertainment; commercial; railroad property; infrastructure; housing and children and young people.

Each category has specific information and suggestions to meet goals which were established during the retreat.

Encouraging property owners to maintain their properties scored highest in the building category.

Linking downtown with other areas in the city and making it easy for visitors to locate amenities were the top rated in the transportation category.

Hosting festivals and events downtown throughout the year and locating Salida Museum downtown were top in the events and entertainment section.

Making the railroad property an active extension of the city scored high despite struggles with the Union Pacific Railroad which have been documented recently.

Other priorities in the plan include developing a mix of housing types downtown and use of public art, landscaping and seasonal decorations to make downtown more appealing.

Copies of the plan are available at city hall and Salida Regional Library.

Coming Together for Our Town will host a follow up retreat at 9 a.m. Nov. 5 in the Scout Hut at Riverside Park. Goal of the retreat will be to review the plan and select action items to work on, Walker said.

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