LONGMONT — After months of public input, study and consulting Longmont officials have unveiled the final draft proposal plan meant to reinvigorate Longmont’s downtown area.

The First and Main Station revitalization project aims to draw new development to the area, both commercial and residential, as well as improve community use and access to businesses, greenways and public spaces.

Centered in the heart of Longmont at the intersection of First Avenue and Main Street, across from the former Butterball LLC processing plant, the redevelopment project will extend approximately a quarter mile in each direction, said David Starnes, redevelopment manager for the city of Longmont, and include nearly 500 acres. The draft proposal includes short-term, mid-term and long-term goals for the area over a 25-year span, Starnes said, and focuses around a transit-oriented development plan.

“The idea is to have ground-floor businesses, then apartment units or condos above,” said Phil Greenwald, transportation planner for Longmont.

It’s a concept that fits with studies showing a Generation Y population of young professionals interested in living close to shopping areas coupled with a