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To do so, the town should consider taking over roads from the state to slow vehicles and thinning out the tree-filled traffic circle to make room for walking, Town Council members said this week.
Such changes could spur private efforts to redevelop aging properties and encourage residents and visitors to park their cars and make a day of a trip to Coligny, spending more time at the beach, shops and restaurants than they do now, urban design administrator Mike Roan said.
The goal would be to create a cohesive town center, rather than a collection of separate properties, he said.
The Town Council's Planning & Development Standards Committee on Wednesday seemed willing to explore taking over state-owned roads in the area, such as sections of Pope Avenue and North and South Forest Beach drives. That would require the town to assume maintenance costs but allow it to employ traffic-slowing features, such as narrower streets and cobblestone-type pavements.
The town already pays for much of the maintenance on state-owned roads on the island, he said.
The subcommittee also generally supported the idea of thinning out the wooded traffic circle to extend the ambiance of the revamped beach park.
Although some residents might oppose changes to the circle, keeping it full of trees could present a "physical and psychological impediment" to the pedestrian-friendly environment council members have said they want, Roan said.
Some council members expressed even more ambitious ideas.
Councilman John Safay said the town could establish a car-free zone near the park. Councilman Bill Harkins proposed planners start with a blank slate, rather than retrofitting what's already there.
But some council members had concerns.
Councilman Drew Laughlin said he approves of spreading the beach park's appearance to the traffic circle but wants to be sure it can be done without jeopardizing pedestrian safety.
"Moving people in and out of (the circle) seems to me to be a problem," he said. "Maybe it can be solved."
Councilman Bill Ferguson said landscaping and lighting should be designed to hinder crime.
Mayor Tom Peeples said he would seek a way to light the area without creating a "huge glow" that would be incompatible with the rest of the island.
A resident of the nearby North Forest Beach area, Peeples also said he hopes a more walkable Coligny wouldn't force residents "to drive through the middle of a shopping center to get home," he said.
Peeples and Laughlin also said they would not want to erase the area's charm.
"It's got soul," Laughlin said. "I don't think we want to lose that."
No owners of the area's commercial properties spoke during the meeting. Safay suggested they be contacted about future meetings.
Harkins said the town should be careful in how it executes such a project because it probably won't make another sweeping attempt to reshape the island's hub for many years.
"I think we're only going to get one chance," Harkins said.
