This seems like a good idea to me. It would make more room for people to be out in public while maintaining social distance.


Santa Rosa floats proposal to close Fourth Street to vehicles
WILL SCHMITT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT May 11, 2020, 8:01PM

Santa Rosa is wondering if closing one of its busiest downtown streets to vehicle traffic may be just the thing to lure wary customers and diners back into the heart of the city amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Three blocks of Fourth Street, between B and E streets, would be temporarily transformed into a pedestrian thoroughfare and plaza under the proposal, which arose amid discussions at City Hall, said Raissa de la Rosa, the city’s economic development manager.

Her presentation Monday drew mixed reviews from business and property owners assembled on a video call, with no clear consensus on whether the change represented a potential burden or boon.

“We’ve already had pre-COVID problems attracting consumers and diners downtown,” said Nate Auerbach of Mark Allen Jewelers. “To me, closing the street off right now would just add one more barrier that keeps people away.”

Others were more supportive of a closure. They included Sherry Huss, co-founder of the Maker Faire, who said she was speaking on behalf of Gerard’s Paella Y Tapas. If the city’s goal was to help revive downtown from its COVID coma, creating a new arena for commerce and socializing could be the needed shot in the arm, she said.

“This may just be the thing that gets people out,” she said, noting that parts of the street could host tables in front of restaurants. “There’s probably not a lot to lose and potentially there’s something to gain.”

Cities including Oakland, Denver and Boston already have closed miles of roadway to cars as the pandemic has shut down much of the economy, leading to a dramatic drop in vehicle traffic and leaving more space for pedestrians and bicyclists. Seattle has gone further, opting to permanently close 20 miles of streets to normal traffic.

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