Leaders of the city and a regional transit group hope a planned transit center in downtown Denton will be a hub for bus and commuter rail service by next year.

The Denton City Council on Tuesday approved a $1.7 million construction contract with Corbet Group Inc. of Dallas to build the transit center at the southeast corner of Railroad Avenue and Hickory Street, east of the downtown Square.

The facility is expected to become the Denton County Transportation Authority’s central bus station in Denton, replacing the area known as Williams Square east of the Wells Fargo building. It would incorporate a rail platform as part of DCTA’s plan to bring commuter rail from Carrollton to downtown Denton by 2011.

The project is “a huge upgrade in amenities” for bus riders, said Dee Leggett, who is DCTA’s vice president of communications and planning. “Right now, there are no indoor facilities; there are no restroom facilities. This is going to be a climate-controlled facility that will allow our passengers to wait indoors.”

A ceremonial groundbreaking is planned for 9:30 a.m. March 22 at the site.

Construction is expected to start next month and finish by mid-December, allowing DCTA to start bus service there before college classes resume for the spring.

The transit center is being funded mostly through $3.1 million in federal funds awarded to the city in 2005. DCTA pledged $777,423 in matching funds needed to leverage the federal dollars. DCTA will own and operate the facility once it’s built, according to a 2008 agreement with the city.

DCTA is handling the rail portion of the transit center separately as part of its $314 million A-train passenger rail project.

The construction contract approved Tuesday includes the renovation of an 8,800-square-foot building at 604 E. Hickory St. that once housed the city’s facilities management department. The renovated building will include office space for DCTA bus operations staff, an air-conditioned passenger waiting area, a ticket office and kiosk, restrooms and space for future retail shops, according to plans presented to the council.

An existing parking lot will be revamped to include about 60 parking spaces, a passenger drop-off area and bicycle storage, according to the plans.

A focal point of the project will be a 45-foot clock tower, public plaza and outdoor performance venue at the corner of Hickory Street and Railroad Avenue. City officials say they hope the transit center will spur pedestrian-friendly retail and housing developments in the area.

Construction bids came in roughly $1 million lower than expected, so the project is likely to cost less than the original $3.8 million budgeted, said Mark Nelson, the city’s transportation director. Besides construction, project costs include design, furniture, utility line relocations and sidewalk improvements, he said.

Parking tweaked

Also Tuesday, the council narrowed a city code exemption that for years allowed developers to build in the central business district without offering new parking spaces.

Under the code revision, residential developments with 10 or more units will have to start meeting the city’s general parking standards or secure a variance, said Mark Cunningham, the city’s planning director. The exemption will still apply to commercial and small residential developments.

As part of their vote, council members said they would re-evaluate the change in 60 days.

City planners originally asked to revoke the exemption entirely, but that idea faced heavy opposition from developers, downtown business owners and members of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

City planners said they wanted to ensure developers didn’t rush to file applications under the old rules before the spring, when the council plans to consider a comprehensive review of city codes in the downtown area.

Critics said forcing developers to provide parking could hinder new construction and redevelopment projects like the new restaurants and townhomes along Industrial Street.

The city is working with a consultant to finish a study on how to implement a 2002 downtown master plan.

The study is expected to include recommendations for parking, architectural design, land use, bicycle lanes, parks and open space, among other things.

Downtown business owner Bob Moses, who opposed the blanket removal of the parking exemption, said the council’s decision Tuesday was a good short-term compromise. Moses is active on multiple civic boards, including the Denton Chamber of Commerce and the city’s Downtown Task Force.

“I think it’s fine, certainly, for this interim period until the recommendations of the implementation study are presented and decided on,” he said. “It’s livable.”

Another public meeting on the study is set for 6 tonight at the Denton Civic Center, 321 E. McKinney St.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com .