With Lancaster City looking ahead to more pedestrian-oriented street closures on Market Street after 2011, and other US cities begining to implement weekly recreational street closures, NewsLanc asked Lancaster City economic development director Randy Patterson if this might one day become a regular tradition for other downtown blocks. Patterson noted that, for several reasons, Lancaster is not likely to follow the precedent of some larger cities in regularly closing downtown blocks for pedestrian use.
Cities like New York and Seattle have recently introduced “Summer Streets” programs, in which major city streets are closed during summer weekends for outdoor recreation, culture events, and general car-free strolling. Officials in Vancouver are considering introducing a similar program to recapture the bustling pedestrian activity experienced during the last Winter Olympics.
According to Patterson, however, such a practice would not be a good fit for downtown Lancaster. Patterson first noted that, since both primary downtown strips (Prince and Queen) are state highways, special approval would be required for each and every closure.
PennDOT spokesman Michael Crochunis told NewsLanc that, in order to temporarily close a state road, a municipality is required file paperwork to assume responsibility for the street during their time of use. While acknowledging that state road status would not inherently bar a municipality from such weekly summer block closings, Crochunis said that he is only aware of cities requesting closure on an event-by-event basis.
Beside the state highway complication, Patterson asserted that regular clock closings could potentially harm rather than help business in those areas—regardless of the pedestrian draw. For the annual Celebrate Lancaster event, Patterson explained, “we usually close off the unit blocks…But that’s, again, on a case-by-case basis….You could talk to some of the sidewalk business owners who say that they don’t get additional traffic as a result of having the street closed.”
Though Celebrate Lancaster can draw heavy crowds into those first blocks of North Queen Street, Patterson said, “they’re usually walking to what’s lined up on the street, those vendors—not stopping at the stores.”
Michelle Stauffer, co-owner of Ric’s Bread at 24 North Queen, echoed Patterson’s observation. “It kills us,” she said of the annual event, “they all buy their food outside.” Stauffer said that she would “probably not be in favor” of any sort of regular block closure.
Jerry Keys, owner of Cross Keys Coffee & Teas at 34 North Queen Street said that occasional events like Celebrate Lancaster provide a long-term benefit by introducing more locals to the downtown scene. During the event itself, Keys noted, the nearby shops pay a temporary price of reduced business. Keys said that frequently closing his or any downtown block into a pedestrian area would not be a good idea in Lancaster.
“I think we’re too small,” Keys said, observing that larger cities like Boston have seen success in developing permanent “pedestrian malls,” but only when it comprises a small portion of a much larger center city area.
