Santa Rose sorely needs vibrant commercial and cultural amenities to improve quality of life and to compete with rival North Bay commercial and tourist destinations. The city has an obvious solution to accomplish both by opening 4th Street between B Street and D Street to exclusive pedestrian use. From Grass Valley to Santa Monica, pedestrianized downtown streets have proven successful at revitalizing downtowns with more people, shoppers, workers, and better vibes. Pedestrianizing 4th Street is also consistent with the General Plan Update's focus on promoting walkability and reducing vehicle miles travelled, and the loss of an estimated 35 parking spots represent a fraction of a percent of downtown's parking inventory, 74% of which goes unused on even a typical busy day according to the city's most recent parking report. Most of all, we've already opened a portion of 4th Street during COVID. We know it works. We respectfully request that you devote staff time and resources to opening 4th street to pedestrians and to put Santa Rosa on the map as the North Bay's premier cultural destination.

Thank you for your leadership, and for considering our views.