North Mulberry Street Outdoor Plaza

Enjoy Your Time at the Mulberry Plaza

Head to downtown Fruita to check out the space. Enjoy an evening with friends and family walking downtown, grabbing a bite to eat, and spending time outdoors. 

As the construction for the space wraps up, we want to remind the community of some best practice to ensure everyone can enjoy the plaza!

• Have Fun!
• Drinks should be enjoyed in an aluminum or plastic container. Please no glass in the space.
• Support local businesses!
• Please refrain from smoking.
• Leashed and well-behaved dogs are welcome!
• The plaza ends on two busy streets. Watch your kids while enjoying the plaza.
• Fruita loves bikes but we also love pedestrian access! Please utilize the awesome bike racks in the plaza to avoid obstruction of other visitors.
• Help keep the space clean by disposing of your trash properly.
• Are you dining at a local restaurant? Make sure to return the tableware back to the restaurant when you are done.
• This space is for everyone so please be mindful of others and respect each other’s space and experience.

Design Work

Based on the input received from the community, Design Workshop has created a design for the space. Designs were presented to Fruita City Council at the City Council Workshop on July 26, 2022. View the final concept design.

Funding

The total project including design work is budgeted at $500,000 and is being funded through a variety of revenue streams. $50,000 of the total budget was used for the design and engagement process in the spring of 2022. The rest of the budget at $450,000 will be used for the construction, amenities, and contingency. After receiving bids for construction, the total project cost is within budget at $449,925. This includes construction/installation of the hardscape improvements for $335,315 (drainage, gas lines, electricity, irrigation lines, planters, parking spaces, brick base, etc.) and $70,000 for contingencies and amenities (seating, fire pits, etc.). The cost of the purchase of the shade sails is $44,610 (installation is part of the $335,315). Below is a breakdown of the revenue streams for the project. 

• $25,000 from the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Grant that went towards the engagement process and design work.
• $225,000 from the American Rescue Plan
• $150,000 from the City of Fruita's General Fund
• $100,000 from the City of Fruita's Public Places Fund

Background on the Project

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a section of North Mulberry Street and Peach Street were temporarily closed to street traffic. These spaces were transformed into outdoor seating in an effort to support downtown businesses during social distancing restrictions. As restrictions related to the pandemic lifted, Peach Street was reconverted back to a street while North Mulberry Street continued to be a gathering area for residents and visitors. North Mulberry Street was chosen for this outdoor space as it is close to a large parking lot and is centrally located next to downtown businesses.  

After high utilization of the space, the City of Fruita was awarded a Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Grant of $25,000 from the Department of Local Affairs to pursue the option of creating a permanent outdoor gathering space on North Mulberry Street. Working with Design Workshop, the City of Fruita collected community feedback on the future of the space and created a conceptual design.

Community Engagement Process

Between April and May of 2022, the City of Fruita engaged with the community on whether or not the space should be a permanent plaza with new amenities including a broader scope than only seating for dining, dependent on the community’s desire. The City of Fruita used a multitude of ways to engage with the public including: 

• Meetings with stakeholder groups including downtown businesses, City Council, and Fruita Boards and Commissions. 
• In-person follow-up meetings with the business owners in the downtown Fruita area. 
• Walk-up booth at the Fruita Fat Tire Festival on May 6-7, 2022, with interactive activities. 
• Online Survey 
  • Survey software was used to make sure participants could only fill out the survey once. 
  • Demographic information was asked to help identify the percentage of participants who live in Fruita, live in the Grand Valley, or were visiting Fruita. Only 15 participants indicated they live outside the Grand Valley while 85% indicated they live in Fruita.  
  • The survey questions were broken down into three areas. The first was to identify if people would like the space to become permanent or not. The second was to pinpoint amenities the community would like to see if the results of the engagement process were in favor of permanently closing the space. Lastly, demographic questions were asked to narrow down whether participants lived in Fruita or were visiting.  

View a detailed list of the public engagement process including how these activities were communicated to the public.

Community Engagement Results

When looking at the results from each engagement process, a few key takeaways were identified.  

• The majority of participants would like to see the space become permanent but have concerns with parking.  
• The majority of participants want to see new amenities in the space and for the design to be well thought out.  
• Participants would like to see shade, lighting, and outdoor seating.  

View a detailed report of all the engagement results.  

Stakeholder Meetings Key Takeaways 

• Would like to see water-efficient landscaping. 
• Interest in improved lighting and shade. 
• Had concerns with parking impacts with the closure. 

Business FOLLOW-UP Key Takeaways 

• City staff spoke with 30 businesses in the downtown Fruita area. 
• Majority of businesses were in favor of the closure but had concerned with parking and would like to see the design well thought out with new amenities. 

Online Survey Key Takeaways 

View a detailed report of the survey results.

• 85% of participants live in Fruita. 
• Majority of participants support a permanent closure. 
• Majority of participants are concerned about the loss of parking. 
• Most commonly selected amenities were shade, outdoor dining areas, seating, and lighting. 
• Most preferred landscaping types were planters and trees. 
• Most preferred shade elements were trees and sails.

Walk-Up Booth at Fat Tire Festival 

• 88% of participants loved the temporary closure. 
• 88% of participants said to make the space permanent. 
• Most commonly preferred amenities were trees, planters, picnic tables, and a climbing structure for kids. 

City Council Discussions

City Council and staff discussed the community engagement results and designs at the City Council Workshop meeting on May 24, 2022, and July 26, 2022.

Signage for Parking and Parking Map

To help alleviate some of the parking concerns, City staff created signage to direct traffic to larger lots around the downtown area and created an online interactive parking map. This will help with educating residents and visitors on other parking options and will direct larger vehicles to park outside the main parking along Aspen Avenue and Mulberry Street. View the signage and other parking information here. 

Other Information on Downtown Fruita

• Interested in learning about future plans for downtown Fruita? Check out the Fruita Civic Center Memorial Park and Downtown Streetscape Improvements Plan.