Council revokes plan to close Main Street

Andrew Edwards

Council members quickly retracted a plan Monday night to close Main

Street to traffic on a trial basis after Downtown merchants pleaded

with them not to follow through.

A committee will be formed, the council decided, to discuss the

prospect of creating a pedestrian mall sometime in the future.

“Waiting another year won’t matter, it will probably make for a

better project,” Mayor Cathy Green said.

The City Council voted unanimously to uphold the status quo at

Main Street and reject an experiment to close the street off to cars

from August to the end of October. Council members Pam Julien

Houchen, Dave Sullivan and Gil Coerper volunteered to serve on a

committee to discuss the plan with Downtown merchants.

The move reversed a decision made by the council in May to try out

the idea, with the details to be hashed out at Tuesday’s meeting.

Although many residents are in support of the plan, Downtown

business owners fear it will cut into their business.

“You’re playing with the livelihood of many businesses Downtown,”

said Moe Kanovdi, an optometrist who has his offices Downtown.

One sect of objections came from business owners in the third

block, which was not included in the trial closure.

“We must adamantly oppose any plan to close Main Street for

pedestrian access that does not include the third block,” said Joe

Shaw, owner California Greetings. It would be far better for the city

to expand Downtown than contract it.”

The idea, which would have created a pedestrian mall on Main

Street from Pacific Coast Highway to Olive Street, would have cost

$88,330, an expense Councilwoman Connie Boardman said was a strike

against the idea.

“I don’t think we have $88,000 to allocate in the middle of the

year for something that’s not expected,” she said.

The idea has been around for many years, and enjoys popular

support.

“The overwhelming majority of the community wants a pedestrian

mall there,” Councilman Dave Sullivan said.

But business owners at the meeting came out in force to oppose the

idea, citing a lack of consultation and research to determine if the

plan would aid or stifle Downtown commerce.

“Closing Main Street, whether it is one block or three blocks,

should be discussed with all the residents and business owners in the

area,” said Steve Daniel, owner of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate

Factory.

Downtown realtor Bob Bolen specifically criticized the timing of

the proposal.

“August through September is only the busiest time for our

Downtown merchants, Bolen said. “This is the time they hope to make

enough money to make it through the winter months.”

Before voting, council members expressed their agreement with

merchants that there had not been enough preparation to go forward

with the idea.

“If this is ever going to work it’s going to have to be a

collaborative process,” Councilwoman Debbie Cook said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers education and crime. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7177, (949) 494-4321 or [email protected].