An effort to make Dillon more walkable could begin with a project to turn an alley near Village Place into a pedestrian plaza with opportunities for pop-up markets and events.

After conducting a survey of residents and visitors and an analysis of the Dillon town core, representatives from Clark & Enersen, a design firm hired by the town, returned before the Town Council on Tuesday, March 21, with recommendations on how to improve walkability.

“We’ve decided that the best recommendation is to implement a very solid, strong, central core in the town core because all these user groups all have different interests,” said Kevin Small, a landscape architect with Clark & Enersen. “But what they all have in common is they all probably like ice cream and pizza and pop-up events and things like that.”

The project team led by Small received direction from Town Council at a previous meeting to come up with a plan that connects the town park, the marina and the amphitheater, he said.

To assess the public’s wants and needs, the design firm conducted a survey that allowed for both in-person and online responses. The survey received more than 250 responses, “which is pretty unheard of in our experience,” according to Helen Davidoski, a landscape designer with the firm.

“The two common themes that really stuck with us were people are passionate about this community and what it is today — the local mountain town pride in their community as it is,” Davidoski said. “And many people are in favor of strategic development, making this walkable but maintaining that character of the space and improving daily amenities, parking, walkability and all that.”

Taking feedback from the survey and aiming to connect the town’s main amenities, the design team proposed a central core area they dubbed “The Deck.” This proposal would transform the alley near Village Place into a fully pedestrian plaza, …