COOS BAY — The Coos Bay Urban Renewal Agency received some ideas to improve its urban districts last week. Some were straightforward, such as encouraging the growth of local businesses. Some are more complex, such as turning Central Avenue east of City Hall to two-way traffic.

Now comes the tricky part: Implementing them.

The ideas came from a study conducted by Oregon Downtown Development Association last summer.

The agency made no comments about the report, though Mayor Jeff McKeown said he would like to schedule a work session to discuss what ideas to adopt.

“This is something I want to move aggressively forward with,” he said after the meeting. “We don’t want to be content with having the plan.”

McKeown said it would be important to have the various stakeholders involved in that work session, as well. He noted that he has spoken with some business owners who are wary about changing Central Avenue.

“We want to be very sensitive to the health of the businesses we have now,” he said.

Martha Balogh is one of those business owners wary about seeing Central Avenue expanded to allow traffic in both directions. She owns Bay Moss Studio, located at the intersection of Central Avenue and Second Street. Its storefront is shaded by trees that would need to be removed if the proposal to change Central Avenue is implemented.

“There goes the charm and beauty,” she said Thursday. “No one wants to lose the trees.”

Currently, the street has 12-foot sidewalks and a 20-foot lane of traffic. In order to have two, 12-foot lanes of traffic, each sidewalk would be reduced by two feet. This would mean tearing out street lamps, flower pots and several trees, an expensive endeavor, Balogh said.

“You could do a lot more for a lot less,” she said.

She suggested the traffic problems could be addressed by making Second and Third streets two-way, an idea proposed in the Downtown Association report. She also said the downtown area would benefit by having some more vegetation and more places for people to sit.

McKeown said his initial thought regarding the traffic flow issue was to address Second and Third streets and Anderson Avenue, though Vicki Dugger, executive director of the Downtown Association, said adapting Central Avenue was paramount.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Dugger also recommended assigning staff to handle urban-area development. She also examined the Empire district, and said its image of being crime-ridden would need to change before businesses would open there.

Dugger wasn’t the only one to share ideas for changing downtown. Joanie Johnson, owner of Sincerely Yours! Antique Mall in Coos Bay, said the city should reduce the system development charges required of new businesses.

And Gary Rifkin, owner of Fiddlesticks in North Bend, suggested making Central Avenue go underneath Coos Bay City Hall. Doing so would require moving the Firefighters’ Memorial. McKeown said he liked the ideas from the public, but was hesitant about relocating the memorial.

“I would really struggle with moving that,” he said.