The long-awaited State Street area renovation project took another step last night when designers presented a proposal that is about "90 percent" complete to Ann Arbor community members at City Hall last night.

"We"ve almost fully designed the concept we are looking for," said Susan Pollay, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority.

"It is a compilation of everybody"s ideas. It"s important to bring it to the community to answer specific concerns," Pollay said.

The project, which began when the DDA commissioned a study by the University, encompasses the areas just west of campus, surrounded by Thayer, William, Division and Washington streets.

The goal of the project is to "enhance the vitality through the implementation of urban improvements," Adrian Iraola, DDA project manager said. The proposal includes the changing of one-way streets to two-way, as well as the addition of trees, bicycle racks and other objects, depending on the need.

The proposal also emphasized the use of Maynard Street as a "front door" to the area, with increased accessibility due to the reconfiguration of the streets, said Tom Heywood, executive director of the State Street Area Association.

An argument at last night"s meeting against the new proposal was the lack of bike lanes. Ken Clark, chair of the city"s Bicycling Committee, said he felt bicyclists concerns were not implemented into the plans.

"We, as in the past, feel we were written out of the proposals," Clark said. "Ann Arbor is very bikable and our highest priorities are the potential to get more cyclists."

Due to regulations, the required space taken for a bike-lane would be seven feet, which designers from the architect group Pollack Design Associates, who were commissioned for the design, said would be impossible in light of other concerns.

"Ann Arbor is a historic town and the buildings are tight together," Iraola said. "It was something we addressed and we would have to give up a lane of parking."

All involved in the project agreed that increased parking was one of the main concerns community members had.

Another concern voiced since the beginning of the project has been the issue of safety in switching one-way streets over to two-way. Iraola said that there may be additional hardships brought on by the renovation.

"The added traffic increases potential for added conflicts," Iraola said. "It is a side effect of urban life we have to enhance visibility, sight lines and obey all regulations to minimize such conflicts."

George Patak, a crime prevention officer for the Ann Arbor Police Department, said after studying the area extensively the proposal would result in a needed better atmosphere for students as well as community members.

"Some people are able to just come into town and leave," Patak said. "The students of the University have to go to that area. ...We"re not going to move Angell Hall."

As well, Patak said the use of two-ways streets will lead to increased safety on the street.

"It will slow things down, and if you go slowly you have more people looking over you" Patak said.

Patak added, "The lighting is terrible right now. ... Good lighting has the biggest impact on deterring crime."

The proposal included the addition of numerous new lighting fixtures in the area to increase visibility at night.

Pollay said the proposal will be continue to be fine tuned until the final proposal is presented to the DDA in March. At that time it will be submitted to a construction committee, as well as numerous city planning committees, and eventually must be passed by city council.

Mayor John Hieftje said last week that he supported renovating the State Street area.

"It might be easier and slow things down," Hieftje said. "It should be pedestrian friendly and it"s not irreversible."

The money for the project does not come from the city budget, Pollay said, but instead from a fund collected through the DDA"s tax increment finance plan.

The fund allows the DDA to collect construction taxes from buildings in that area "for use to recycle in public for private benefits." Pollay said the estimated cost of the project is $5 million.

The DDA hopes to start construction by June, and expects it to take about a year, Pollay said.