Curious community members and business owners have a chance to see what's in store for the pedestrian mall at two meetings Friday.

The city will host two meetings, one for business owners and downtown stakeholders from 2 to 4 p.m., and one for the community from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel, 210 S. Dubuque St.

Scott Sovers, the city's senior civil engineer, said designs for the project — which includes all new brickwork across the ped mall and updated underground utilities — are nearly complete.

"There will be a few tweaks as we move forward in preparation of construction documents, but by and large this is going to be a presentation of the ped mall design based on what we've heard from the public," Sovers said.

According to the city's proposed timeline, Sovers said, the project will be put out for bids in February, which will require approval by the Iowa City Council. Construction is expected to begin next year said span two construction seasons, he said, ending in 2019.

Project cost estimates are not yet available, Sovers said, but the city anticipates a budget of $6 million to $7 million for the project.

Other features of the project include wayfinding kiosks, new planters and replacement of the city-owned stage and canopy outside of the Sheraton Hotel. Plans also include some sort of shade structure for the Black Hawk Mini Park.

"It would be designed in a way that keeps the mini park flexible for the public programming. We want to make it as functional as possible," Sovers said.

The public open house will begin with a presentation at 5:30 p.m., with a short question-and-answer session to follow.

The project is part of a larger downtown and pedestrian mall streetscape plan, which also included the Washington Street streetscape project. The goal is to improve accessibility, infrastructure and the look and feel of the area.

If you go

What: Pedestrian mall project design review

When: 2 to 4 p.m. for business and property owners, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for the public

Where: Sheraton Hotel, 210 S. Dubuque St.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach Andy Davis at 319-887-5404 or at aldavis@press-citizen.com, and follow him on Twitter as @BylineAndyDavis.