Project Downtown: Main Street Phase 1

Project Downtown, the city’s long-term initiative to reinvest in Downtown Littleton’s infrastructure and public spaces, is taking significant steps forward: city council approved key contracts supporting delivery of Phase 1, Main Street Improvements, and approved a $30 million financing plan to fund the work.

Downtown is the heart of civic life in Littleton, and the forthcoming Main Street Improvements will modernize aging infrastructure while preserving the area’s historic character. The project will address deferred maintenance, restore trees and green infrastructure, and improve safety, walkability, accessibility, and the overall experience for residents, visitors, and businesses.

City council approved a plan to issue up to $30 million in Certificates of Participation (COPs) to fund Project Downtown improvements. Certificates of Participation are a financing tool that allows cities to fund major capital projects. Investors purchase certificates and receive regular repayment from the city, subject to annual appropriation by city council. The source of repayment for the COPs is generally available revenues of the city.

This isn’t Littleton’s first time using COPs. In 1999, the city issued $3.4 million in certificates to renovate the Littleton Municipal Courthouse, a historic building dedicated in 1908 that had sat vacant for over a decade. The courthouse was successfully renovated and re-dedicated in 2000. Since then, Littleton has also used COPs to fund renovations to the Littleton Museum, a fleet building, and the construction of a fire station. Littleton’s approach to debt — using it strategically for major projects and paying it off — has kept the city’s overall debt minimal while funding essential improvements.

When Littleton went to market with the COPs offering in July 2026, investors responded enthusiastically. The $30 million offering attracted orders from major institutional investors including PIMCO, Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, and Northern Trust. This strong demand reflected investor confidence in Littleton’s financial health.

For the first time seeking a credit rating in over 20 years, Littleton received an AA+ issuer rating with an AA rating for the COPs from S&P Global — the firm’s second-highest rating. This is a strong endorsement of the city’s financial strength, reserves, and management.

The pricing was favorable: investors paid $32.8 million for $30 million of certificates. These additional proceeds create more funds available for the project.

To move the project from concept to construction, the city has assembled an integrated project delivery team that brings design, construction, project management, and cost-estimating expertise into the planning process from the start. This approach identifies risks early, improves cost certainty, and supports informed decision-making before construction begins.

The project team will now advance preliminary design, evaluate parking and curbside strategies, validate costs and constructability, and support stakeholder engagement. This initial design phase is critical to balancing long-term improvements with the dayto-day needs of Downtown Littleton.

This project reflects Littleton’s commitment to supporting a dynamic downtown while recognizing the complexity of delivering improvements in an active business district. The phased approach, combined with a project delivery team specifically assembled to manage risk, will help ensure that when construction begins, it is practical, wellplanned, and aligned with downtown’s needs.

Project Downtown, Littleton’s long-term initiative to reinvest in Downtown Littleton’s infrastructure and public spaces, took two significant steps forward in May: city council approved key contracts supporting delivery of Phase 1, Main Street Improvements, and also approved a financing plan to fund the work.

Downtown is the heart of civic life in Littleton, and Main Street Improvements will modernize aging infrastructure while preserving the area’s historic character. The project will address deferred maintenance, restore trees and additional green infrastructure, and improve safety, walkability, accessibility, and the overall experience for residents, visitors, and businesses.

To move the project from vision to implementation, the city has assembled an integrated project delivery team that brings together design, construction, project management, and cost-estimating expertise from the earliest stages of project development. This approach is intended to identify risks early, improve cost certainty, evaluate construction impacts and phasing options, and support informed decision-making before construction begins.

Read more about Project Downtown

Project Downtown, a long-term initiative to reinvest in Downtown Littleton’s infrastructure and public spaces, is moving forward with Phase 1: Main Street Improvements.

The Main Street Improvements will modernize downtown infrastructure while preserving the area’s historic charm — addressing deferred maintenance, restoring trees and additional green infrastructure, enhancing safety, walkability, accessibility and the overall experience for residents, visitors and businesses alike.

The city is currently soliciting professional design services for the project. Design work is expected to begin this spring, following the selection of a consultant.

The Project Downtown Concept Plan will serve as the foundation for design, providing a shared vision shaped by prior community input.

During the design phase, the city will refine:

• Technical and engineering details
• Phasing and construction approaches
• Cost and schedule considerations
• Strategies to maintain access to downtown businesses and the area throughout construction

This phase is critical for balancing long-term improvements with the day-to-day needs of residents, visitors, and local businesses.

Littleton’s Project Downtown effort was honored to be nominated for a Colorado Downtown Excellence Award at the annual ceremony hosted by Downtown Colorado Inc. April 3.

Project Downtown is the guide for Littleton’s long-term investment decisions to improve mobility, connectivity, parking, pedestrian safety, wayfinding, and streetscape enhancements in Downtown Littleton.

Read more about Project Downtown’s recognition from Downtown Colorado Inc.

A brighter future for Downtown Littleton is taking shape.

In November 2024, city council adopted the Project Downtown Concept Plan, a community-driven vision that reimagines the future of Littleton’s historic core. Built on years of collaboration with residents, businesses and the Littleton Downtown Development Authority, the plan laid the groundwork for reinvestment in downtown infrastructure, mobility, and public spaces.

Following a city council study session in September 2025, the council approved a funding strategy to advance Phase 1 — the Main Street Improvements — into design. This milestone marks the beginning of translating the community’s vision into detailed plans to replace aging infrastructure, improve safety and accessibility, and celebrate downtown Littleton’s distinctive character.

The Main Street Improvements will modernize downtown infrastructure while preserving the area’s historic charm — enhancing safety, walkability, accessibility and the overall experience for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.

Throughout the preliminary design process, there will be opportunities for the community to share input on design concepts and help shape a districtwide parking and curbside management strategy. These efforts will guide how downtown can best serve everyone who lives, works, and plays in Littleton.

Project timelines are still being developed. Stay tuned for more information in early 2026 on how to get involved as design work progresses and engagement opportunities are announced.

The Project Downtown Concept Plan has the green light from the Littleton City Council, with council voting unanimously to adopt the plan at its November 19 meeting.

The plan is based on the “Village” concept that was presented during the public engagement phase of the project planning process.

City staff will now begin preliminary design for the Main Street improvements and developing options for funding the project, with $2 million appropriated in the 2025 budget for preliminary design work and other related studies such as parking management and economic impact.

The final concept plan for Project Downtown was presented to the public at an open house October 28.

The plan is based on the "Village" concept that was presented during the public engagement phase of the project planning process. This concept was favored by about 45% of survey respondents, the Littleton Downtown Development Authority, and city council.

There are five major projects proposed as part of the concept, listed in order of priority:

• Main Street – amenity zones with trees, gathering spaces, and raised planter beds, specialty paving and bollards for event closures, and gateways on the east and west ends of the street.
• Prince Street – north- and south-bound off-street protected bike lanes and amenity zones with widened sidewalks, raised planter beds, and trees.
• Alamo Avenue – amenity zones similar to those on Main and Prince streets and intersection upgrades for safer crossings.
• Nevada Street – transformed into a "shared" street between cars, cyclists, and pedestrians, with vehicular speeds reduced significantly.
• Little’s Creek Trail – gathering spaces, public art, opportunities to interact with the creek, and other landscape features.

The plan also calls for several minor projects to be completed alongside the major priorities, including curb ramp replacements, new sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and re-configured intersections.

These investments will enhance the mobility and streetscapes for a more vibrant, connected, and inclusive downtown that celebrates and enriches the historic character of the neighborhood.

The next step in the project, the Phase I design, is anticipated to continue the development of the Main Street part of the concept, including an economic impact analysis and parking management study.