West Pearl in Boulder: to open it to people over cars, or no?
February 10, 2025
Waylon Lewis
Editor-in-Chief, Elephant Journal
Having read the Downtown Boulder Partnership (DBP) response to the overwhelmingly popular support for extending the Mall to West Pearl, here’s my reply.
Much of the reduction of business could be attributed to…you know, a pandemic that kept many folks home. It’s not accurate to blame the delightful opening of West Pearl to people for the reduction in business.
The way I see it, there’s three options.
keeping it closed to people, open to 58 parking spots, which is not popular with Boulderites.
there’s opening it but not making it fun, not investing in it, which is what we did during Covid. That’s not great for business owners, or people.
Or, third, there’s making it a magnetizing attraction, keeping access for handicapped, adding benches, water feature, art, a stage or event area for the Stampedes etc…we have to do something good for both retail and restaurant owners who have real concerns, and for people/locals/tourists/customers, both.
The DBP must readily admit that the closure (more like an opening to people, a closure to cars, her language speaks volumes) added zero amenities (we needed shade, trees, benches) and the entire 2.5 block opening was just cement with pricey for businesses seating areas. Now, if we invested in trees, benches for the elderly, kept delivery and elderly / handicapped access for busses similar to 16th St in Denver, a fountain or play area for children, a performance area…we could make it the tourist hub and locals hub, both, that would drive our local economy just as the crowded mall does. I know for a fact many business owners (Trident, Tebo, Kimbal, etc) on west Pearl were ready at first to support this…We’re talking about 58 parking spots. We have to make it clear where public parking garages etc. are.
My idea, when I ran for Council, was to open this back up and give every single person who spent money at a West Pearl business a redeemable token or code for free hours of parking in a parking garage. Get folks in the habit. Let them experience the core of our downtown without parked cars and cars driving in circles looking for a parking spot, when the garages are open and ready. Longmont doubled down on local business, not chains, along its main street. We should do the same. Instead, many shops owned by national and international corps are empty for years, before finally being filled by outdoor plastic clothing chains.
Make Downtown Boulder impossible not to visit, & spend money in!
