BOULDER, Colo. — There's a grassroots effort to revive a pandemic-era street closure in downtown Boulder.
A group of Boulder residents is behind the Pearl For You petition, which aims to close two blocks of West Pearl Street to most vehicles.
"We want to produce a space that really is symbolic of Boulder’s values, including being an environmentally aware place," said Kurt Nordback, chair of the petition and also a member of the City of Boulder's Planning Board.
In 2020, the City of Boulder shut down West Pearl between 9th and 11th Streets, allowing restaurants to use that space for outdoor dining. The group is hoping to put a measure on the November ballot so voters could decide to reclose that stretch of the street.
Denver7 reported on the reopening of the stretch two years later. At the time, the city said there was no reason to keep the street closed.
- Watch our coverage of the reopening in the video player below
Nordback said there's a renewed push to once again close off the corridor to cars.
"Just think about it as the next step in Boulder's evolution of producing really people-friendly places. That started 50 years ago with the Pearl Street Mall," said Nordback.
In a 2023 citywide survey of nearly 1,800 Boulder residents, 86% said the closure either "significantly increased" or "increased" the overall appeal of the West Pearl area.
However, not everyone is in support of the closure. Rebekah Hartman, owner of OZO Coffee Company, is worried about the potential impact on her business.
"We cannot do this. We cannot go back to that," Hartman told Denver7 on Wednesday.
Hartman said the closure piled onto the problems her business experienced during the pandemic.
"Ultimately, the minute the road was open again, business went back up," she said.
Hartman is also concerned about the impact on accessibility. She said the closure would prevent the HOP Bus from stopping near her coffee shop.
"This is a main corridor for the bus," she said.
To qualify for the November ballot, the petition needs 3,401 signatures from Boulder votes. In the meantime, Hartman hopes the campaign opens the community-wide conversation about the future of West Pearl.
"It's not us against them. This is Boulder, we like to work together," said Hartman.
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