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West Central and Poplar Street Corridor Study
Casper, Wyoming

Corridor Histories

The West Central Corridor
Retail businesses once thrived along Yellowstone Highway in the West Central Corridor, located near downtown. Businesses also supported the Amoco Refinery in other parts of the area. The area declined over time due to shifting traffic patterns and more recently, the closure of the Amoco Refinery. The Yellowstone Highway was the main east/west corridor through this area until 1st Street north of Yellowstone Highway was improved and designated the state highway. De-emphasizing Yellowstone Highway resulted in a decline in traffic volumes, which precipitated a decline in business and property values. The Refinery’s closure forced those businesses that supported the Refinery to also close.

The West Central Corridor is currently a mix of rundown/abandoned buildings, light industrial businesses and office/retail businesses. With the cleanup of the Amoco Refinery and construction of the 3 Crowns Golf Club, revitalization of this area is necessary.

The 2002 Casper Urban Renewal Plan contains numerous statistics about the demographics of the West Central Corridor, along with an analysis of and recommendations for revitalizing the area. The plan recommends a variety of commercial, residential and recreational uses to achieve revitalization. These proposed land uses will require redevelopment of the entire area, and a revised street network to accommodate traffic.

Poplar Street Corridor
The Poplar Street Corridor is bounded by Collins Drive on the north and CY Avenue on the south. This was a neighborhood street similar to the adjacent north/south streets with homes and driveways onto the street. When the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) changed the state highway designation from Center Street to Poplar Street, volumes on the corridor increased. The street was widened in the late 1980s to the existing four-lane section to accommodate those volumes. The widening encroached on the front of the homes, making the neighborhood an undesirable place to live. A handful of businesses have moved into the corridor, but the area is still very rundown.

The City envisions redeveloping this corridor with commercial uses. To facilitate redevelopment, a revised land use plan, development standards and an access management plan need to be developed.

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