The goal of making Padanaram a more walkable destination took another step forward this week.

On Tuesday at the Dartmouth Pathways Committee meeting, committee member and civil engineer Alan Heureux addressed plans for new sidewalks around the intersection of Bridge and Elm streets. He also talked about adding parking spaces along the length of Elm Street between Prospect and School streets.

While currently in the planning stages, Heureux hopes to send a finalized plan to the Department of Public Works soon. After Public Works weighs in, the plan could be presented at public hearings next year.

Heureux said that now is the perfect time to look at a new street sidewalk plan because more businesses are moving into Padanaram, there is new construction currently underway and the streets are in need of repair.

“I’ve lived in Padanaram for 25 years, and I walk around the village,” said Heureux. “My feeling, personally, is that when you get to the Yacht Club, you want a sidewalk to the bridge. That’s where the pedestrian experience needs to be improved.”

A similar, though more ambitious, proposal was presented to the Select Board back in May. A group of five engineering students from Northeastern University presented plans for a major overhaul to Padanaram. They recommended more sidewalks and parking spaces be added throughout much of Padanaram as well as a roundabout that would replace the five-point intersection near St. Mary’s Church.

“The Pathways Committee had been talking about it prior to the Northeastern University students getting involved,” said Heureux. “It happened that I had been doing work for several projects in Padanaram, so that allowed me to pull together some exhibits for the Pathways Committee to consider and then forward to the Department of Public Works.”

Heureux said that he appreciated what the students had presented, but he thought the scale of the proposed changes was too ambitious to be realistic. However, he said he was inspired by small pieces of their presentation.

“Two things that they recommended were making Elm Street one-way south and Water Street one-way north. Those were the two things that I thought were the most useful,” said Heureux.

At the Pathways Committee meeting, Heureux presented a sidewalk plan that was dated May 27. The diagram showed parking spaces running down either side of the north end of Elm Street, excluding the area in front of 321 Elm, which would have sidewalks on both sides of the street to allow for safe crossing.

Curb extensions would be added to the area around the intersection of Bridge and Elm to shorten the crosswalk and make pedestrians more visible.

The south side of Elm would be a one-way street to allow for parking spaces and a wider sidewalk.

He said the sidewalks along Elm would be four-and-a-half feet wide and lined with four courses of brick and a granite curb.

Heureux, who lives in Padanaram, said there will likely be pushback from the community. During the student proposal back in May, residents raised concerns about the south end of Elm Street being made into a one-way street.

He hopes that, if the plan does enter the public hearing phase, the students will attend.

“If the Department of Public Works generates some preliminary plans and goes to public hearings and presents them to the residents, I would hope that the students from Northeastern could weigh in and comment,” said Heureux.