Maggie Walker’s statue in Downtown could wind up at least 6 feet shorter than sculptor Antonio “Toby” Mendez first envisioned.

Instead of a 14-foot tall statue standing on a 5-foot pedestal as the sculptor proposed, the bronze figure of the much-admired Richmond businesswoman and civil rights leader would be no more than 10 feet tall and stand on 3-foot,4-inch pedestal in the proposed plaza at Adams and Broad streets.

The smaller version was recommended Tuesday by the Richmond Public Art Commission’s influential Site Selection Committee after a review of the conceptual design.

“We felt the statue needed to be more accessible,” particularly for pedestrians and visitors to the site, said architect Sarah S. Driggs, chair of the Site Selection Committee. She said SSC members felt that the original concept was oversized and focused more on serving passing traffic than those on foot.

Under the recommendation, the statue would rise 12- to 13-feet above the proposed plaza. Mr. Mendez already has submitted a conceptual view that incorporates the SSC recommendation for the Walker statue to be 9- to 10-feet tall and installed on a shorter pedestal.

The SSC also proposed “tweaks” to the plaza design and the landscaping that would be part of the site, Ms. Driggs said.

The committee does not have the last word, but its views are expected to shape the discussion as the statue project moves through the approval process.

The conceptual design now heads to the Urban Design Com- mittee, an arm of the city Planning Commission. The UDC is expected to consider the conceptual design on Thursday, April 7, and forward its recommendations to the full Public Art Com- mission, which is to meet Tuesday, April 12.

All the recommendations would go to the city Planning Com- mission, which is empowered to make decisions on the design and placement of statues. The Planning Commission could vote on the conceptual design on Monday, April 18.

All of the meetings are open to the public.