Connecting William Street

continued

"My colleagues disagreed with me" on the scope of the project, says Taylor, "but I'm looking forward to what the DDA brings to us to consider."

"I think it was kind of mutually agreed upon that we would narrow this down to something that truly is doable," says Lowenstein diplomatically.

"Our mission is to see that there is progressive development within the downtown," Lowenstein explains. In the past, "we have focused on providing the infrastructure ... that would enable developers to come in, but it hasn't really happened in the way that we would want. This is a way for us to make that more easily happen.

"There is enthusiasm, and I think there are a lot of expectations" for the study, Lowenstein says. "But the way our budget is going, and, as a result of our negotiations with the city [increasing transfers to the general fund], we don't have very much money to do the projects. We did get a federal grant for this project, so people in the DDA are excited to have some money to do any type of project at all."