Portland’s neighbor across the Columbia River is evolving so quickly that, if you don’t visit regularly, it might seem like someone simply waved a magic wand. Poof! There’s a shiny new waterfront. Poof! There’s another residential tower.

The city of Vancouver is now pointing that wand downtown and summoning a mighty spell of transformation.

This week, city leaders invited community members to a final open house session where they showcased City Council-approved designs to reconstruct Main Street from Fifth to 15th streets starting next spring.

City leaders aim to make Main Street a community and economic hub. | Rendering courtesy of First Forty Feet

Here are some of the changes that are in store:

Replacement of diagonal parking spaces with curbside parking
Widened sidewalks with room for outdoor restaurant seating
Improved safety + accessibility features like inlaid sidewalk strips for visually impaired pedestrians
New street lighting, landscaping, and infrastructure for events that would close side streets to traffic
New underground utility lines

Construction is slated to be completed no later than winter 2025.