San Diego is considering a plan to block off an eight-block portion of its Downtown, known as the Gaslamp Quarter, to automobile traffic.
"San Diego officials and community leaders are exploring plans to create an eight-block pedestrian plaza in the Gaslamp Quarter by closing Fifth Avenue to vehicles between Broadway and L Street," reports David Garrick.
The Gaslamp Promenade, as the idea is currently known, would feature street furniture, public art, trees, painted murals and possibly outdoor entertainment venues," according to Garrick, who mentions Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade as inspiration for the idea.
Project boosters are hoping the car-free area would attract new volumes of tourist and regional traffic, potentially decreasing vacancies along Fifth Avenue and nearby streets, and "boosting property values and sparking a flurry of renovations to the Gaslamp’s older buildings," according to Garrick.
As a supplement to Garrick's news coverage of the Gaslamp Promenade plans, see also a column by Philip Molnar that includes a survey of local planning and development experts for their opinion on the proposal. Spoiler: not one of the respondents says the city should not proceed with the plan.
FULL STORY: San Diego may create ‘Gaslamp Promenade’ by banning cars from Fifth Avenue
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