After town officials, business owners and citizens met with economic development and planning experts during Silverthorne’s town core assessment process, town officials now have information they can use to develop a new downtown.

Four focus groups in late March brought people together to discuss what constitutes a vibrant commercial core. They were led by a team of nine experts assembled by Silverthorne’s project partners, Downtown Colorado, Inc. and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

The primary recommendation that came out of the meeting was to use 4th Street at a “core axis” for the area, meant to enhance pedestrian connectivity to existing public amenities such as the Silverthorne Recreation Center, Rainbow Park, the Blue River Trail, Silverthorne Pavilion and the Silverthorne Transit Center.

“Silverthorne’s Town Core area is a great canvas on which to build a strong identity for the town,” said Katherine Correll, executive director of Downtown Colorado, Inc. “It’s not something that happens overnight, but the assessment team felt that there were some small steps that could get the ball rolling. The team felt that the 4th Street core axis was a potential starting point.”

To make pedestrian connections within the area deemed the “civic core,” the group recommended creating a pedestrian-focused plaza east of the existing pedestrian bridge near the Silverthorne Pavilion. It would connect the Pavilion and the recreation center more formally, and provide an outdoor space for public gatherings, town spokesman Ryan Hyland said.

“The town council has yet to have an opportunity to meet formally to discuss their initial thoughts on the presentation, but once that occurs we will begin looking at concepts they would like to see explored in more detail,” town manager Kevin Batchelder said.

The presentation of information collected during the focus groups is available online at http://www.silverthorne.org and at http://www.summitnews.com. It’s also being aired on Summit County Television on cable channel 10 at 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.

In the coming weeks, a narrative report and recommended action matrix should be provided to town officials by the team of experts, Hyland said.

Contact Ryan Hyland at (970) 262-7319 or ryan.hyland@silverthorne.org with questions or comments about the town core revitalization project.