The commission received a preliminary streetscape report for Broadway that inventories downtown amenities (benches, trash receptacles, wayfinding signs and bicycle racks) and recommended removing nine benches at highly congested locations as an interim step. Planning staff and the Downtown Community Partnership (DCP) presented the report and said consultants (Confluence) will complete a final design and relocation recommendations this fall.

Rocky Schneider, administrator of the DCP Business Improvement District, said the downtown inventory shows roughly 327 public seats in about 103 locations within the two-block area around Broadway and that Broadway Square added 145 seats in 42 locations. Schneider said the goal is not to eliminate public seating but to relocate seating away from conflict points and to expand net public seating in better locations: "We're looking at removing some benches... I would say it's actually about expanding public seating downtown," he told the commission.

Staff presented two options: (1) remove the nine benches identified in the preliminary report now and return later with relocation recommendations, or (2) wait for the final Confluence report and implement changes together. Multiple members of the public urged the commission not to remove benches without a concrete relocation plan, saying benches are essential for elderly and mobility‑limited residents and that removal would harm people experiencing homelessness. Bradley Foster, a downtown resident, said, "Removing benches isn't gonna do it... We need actual concrete steps." Shane Morin and other speakers described bench removal as punitive toward people without housing; Neil Mentor, who identified himself as unhoused, described visible drug use near benches and said outreach and housing-first efforts have not met needs.

After discussion, Commissioner Kolpak and others described the proposal as a pilot for relocation rather than total removal, emphasizing ongoing support services for people experiencing homelessness. The commission voted to adopt option 2—to wait for the final report and return with detailed relocation sites and a full recommendation—on roll call. The vote was 4–1 (Pepcorn opposed). Staff said the final report is expected in mid-September and will include public input and proposed relocation sites prior to any removals.