Renaissance Square update

A meeting last Friday about the future of Renaissance Square revealed that progress has dramatically slowed. Securing funding for the $230 million project has proven difficult, and all vendor contracts with architects and engineers have expired. Maggie Brooks said that future designs will continue to be based off of the master plan assembled by Moshe Safdie and Associates. She told the Democrat and Chronicle that new contracts will be drawn up with local firms, although Moshe Safdie has already completed its work and will not be returning to the design team. Brooks says that future design firms will have to be willing to work on a budget driven project to keep the cost at $230 million. The Federal Transportation Administration must approve plans before construction can begin. The county will submit those plans in July. The final decision on whether to go ahead with the project or scrap it altogether will be made in April of 2009. Following criticism that information was not being shared with the public, a new records access officer has been appointed to keep the public informed about the project.