Council Looks At Downtown Branding and Trail Link

The Walnut Creek City Council at a Tuesday meeting will look at ways to finance the development of a branding guide by Walnut Creek Downtown.

The council meets at 7 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) in regular session at City Hall, 1666 N. Main St., after a scheduled 5:30 p.m. closed session to discussion labor negotiations and anticipated litigation.

Walnut Creek Downtown is developing the branding plan with a consulting firm, Civitas. A city staff reports states: "The Brand Style Guide moved up as a priority to be in sync with the City’s wayfinding signage efforts currently underway and to coordinate with the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau marketing efforts."

For the entire effort, staff is recommending the city reallocate $38,000 of unused contract funds and authorize a loan of $62,000 to cover the costs of developing a Brand Style Guide and "completing the second phase of activities associated with forming a Property-Based Business Improvement District."

Also on the agenda is a proposal for the city to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Contra Costa County and the city of Lafayette to study a regional trail link between the Lafayette-Moraga Trail on Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette, and the Iron Horse Trail on South Broadway in Walnut Creek. The study is to be funded with a $198,000 grant from the Measure J, Transportation for Livable Communities program.

If connected the trail system would connect most of Lamorinda with Central Contra Costa and the San Ramon Valley.