I originally posted this in April 2022. It is a celebration of downtown GNV’s ‘People Street.’ I am reposting it now because there is mounting pressure on the City Commission to reopen these two pedestrian blocks of downtown SW 1st Avenue in order to park more cars. I hope the commission will take some resolve from the Harris-Walz campaign and say “We Aren’t Going Back.” Let’s keep The Streetery (SW 1st) for people. Ron
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We closed two blocks of downtown’s SW 1st Avenue during the Covid lockdown so restaurants there could stay in business by offering outdoor dining.
No question it helped Looseys and other cafes keep their doors open. And it seemed a small price to pay for the lost of some curbside parking.
Still, now the Covid crisis has mostly passed, I keep hearing folks complain: “What good’s a street that you can’t drive on?”
To which I would counter: What isn’t a people street good for?
There is an art to making a people street work. People crave public spaces. They want to be where other people are. And they don’t want to have to dodge traffic for the privilege.
And so once a month, on a Sunday, SW 1st Ave. is turned into an open air market. Complete with music and entertainment.
Where all manner of goods are for sale.
Listen, there’s no accounting for taste. That’s why they call ‘em street bizaars.
We could use more people streets. And it’s time for the City to get rid of those ugly “Road Closed” barriers and find more attractive ways to designate that NW 1st is for people.
Since I posted this the City has indeed gotten rid of those ugly barriers and replaced them with bollards. GNV’s People Street has come into its own. And frankly, with a city parking garage sitting right at the end of SW 1st it’s difficult to buy the argument that just a few dozen more parking spaces will make all the difference in the world for downtown businesses. Stand fast commissioners!
FreeGNV 