City of Yuma holds first council meeting of the New Year

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Yuma City Council held its first public meeting of the new year. On the agenda, something that affects everyone walking in downtown Yuma.

Elected officials are talking about potential changes coming to the downtown area. The goal is to create more walking space for visitors.

These areas are near Da’ Boys, Prison Hill, and The Pint House, just to name a few.

When businesses reopened a few months into the pandemic, in 2020, council members passed an ordinance allowing businesses to extend patios out to sidewalks.

Well, that cut into walking space for sidewalk traffic.

During the last city council meeting, a new idea was introduced, but Mayor Doug Nicholls added a caveat.

“A venue like Main Street is about being with people and experiencing Main Street together and if you're walking single file through two or three businesses, that character starts to get eroded.”

“It would definitely not be a major change it would I think right now three and a half feet the current ADA width required I'd be looking something closer to five or six feet."

The rest of the council agreed.

At Wednesday's meeting, the council unanimously passed the ordinance.

Businesses with outdoor dining will now have to make sure the walkway is at least five feet wide.

We’ve reached out to a few but many had not yet heard about it. 

Also passed Wednesday evening, a rezoning project making way for more than 130 new townhomes near Avenue 7E and 40th Street. 

Along with that, some schools in Yuma will be getting a security upgrade.

“It alerts throughout the campus, alerting visitors who are approaching the campus that the school is on lockdown to vacate the premises and alert 911,” Dale Ponder with Crane Elementary School District No. 13 said.

The council passed an agreement between the Yuma Police Department and Crane School District as school officials look to find ways to keep students safe on campus.

“YPD is then able to pull up our information, take a look at our cameras to be able to see what is happening within our campuses,” Ponder added.

With the New Year comes new appointments to council and committee positions including Deputy Mayor Leslie McClendon, who will serve for another year.