CLEVELAND — Several signs are now posted on West 29th Street to welcome the community to a temporary open street concept.
“Extra time on the street is always helpful for small businesses,” said Cleveland Planning Director Joyce Huang.
Imagine this:
An area where you can comfortably sit and do work or even take a short break while working your dog.
Well, that’s the vision Huang said she’s working to turn into a reality.
“The idea is to take an area where there is some interest and activity and to really create a pedestrian area,” said Huang.
Huang’s idea is currently being implemented on West 29th Street, with barriers blocking off a section of the road and plenty of places to sit.
“It’s infrastructure for people and not cars and that is very important,” said Jeremy Umanski, Co-Owner of Larder Delicatessen and Bakery.
Umanski said this temporary two-week project is a dream come true.
“We deserve better as residents to have more public spaces for us to enjoy,” said Umanski.
On the contrary, News 5 heard skepticism from some business owners during a meeting on the open street concept we reported on back in February.
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“I’m open to the concept of this, but it’s not without pretty glaring question marks,” said one local business owner.
News 5’s Remi Murrey tried catching up with some of those business owners who had concerns about the concept, and they declined to comment at this time.
“There are a few that are concerned about access to parking and other things, but it’s not directly in front of where they’re going to be,” said Huang.
Huang said the city decided to do a section of West 29th Street to keep it more intimate and to make the most of their $100,000 grant.
RELATED: West 29th Street in Hingetown could close down to traffic, become more pedestrian-friendly
This means they’re no longer exploring the area north of Church Avenue closer to Detroit Avenue, which is disappointing to one owner who says he supports the open street concept but wishes it could’ve been extended in front of his business.
“More people sit in front of breweries; libations bring people around,” said Yum Village Owner Carasai Ihentuge.
"We hope that this pilot will show and prove that this will actually create much more activity,” said Huang.
Weather permitting, the city hopes to implement this idea as early as this fall.
Huang also makes it clear this area is not a designated outdoor refreshment area, so you cannot have alcohol out on the street.
