The Water Street Pedestrian Mall, arguably one of the capital city’s most popular pilot projects, will not be extended—but some businesses might have some leeway when it comes to keeping their decks and patios open.
Set up to help businesses suffering through COVID-19 closures and reduced capacity, the pedestrian mall will come to an end on September 7 as originally planned. Traffic will return to normal the following morning.
The city says it was pleased with the public support and positive attention the project received. However, council felt it was important to keep their commitment to the original end date.
The city will work with Downtown St. John’s and area businesses to continue the concept next summer, and explore the possibility for both fall and winter pedestrian mall areas in the future.
Business owners with decks who wish to keep them going after September 7 will be able to reach out to inspection services regarding modifications required to ensure paths for pedestrians.
“Without question, pedestrian malls in the downtown show great promise, and we will take this time to evaluate this summer’s event, to gather feedback from businesses and visitors through a formal engagement process and to plan for future events.”
-Excerpt from council statement.
Growing Project from Lessons Learned
(Danny Breen, file photo.)
Mayor Danny Breen expects the outdoor pedestrian mall will be bigger and better next year, but it’s unlikely to involve both Water Street and Duckworth Street.
Some establishments outside the mall’s footprint—especially those on Duckworth—felt left out and wished to be included. However, Mayor Danny Breen says the fire chief had safety concerns with having the two main downtown streets closed or partially closed at the same time.
He says they have some work to do in that regard as some business owners on Duckworth felt that they did not do as well as they expected.
City council says the pilot project also identified challenges with the existing model, including accessibility.
