Tag Cloud
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Man on the Street: business after cars on K
by Brandon Darnell, published on December 6, 2011 at 5:50 PM
Storyline: Local Business
Loading images
It’s been almost one month since cars returned to K Street between Eighth and 12th streets, and The Sacramento Press asked business owners and managers on the former pedestrian mall if they have observed any differences as a result.
To read about the reopening of the K Street Mall to vehicular traffic, click here.
Image by: Brandon Darnell
Larry Bethune, 25-year-old shift leader at Quiznos, 902 K St.
“I think it allows a lot more people to know about the different restaurants on K Street,” Bethune said. “It hasn’t increased business yet because there’s nowhere to park. There’s a lot about a block from here with purple fence around it. If they turned that into a parking lot, then having cars on the street would turn into a really great idea.”
Image by: Brandon Darnell
Veni Sharma, 63-year-old co-owner of DeRow & Sharma Clothier & Tailors, 916 K St.
“It’s too early to tell, but it’s improved a little bit,” Sharma said. “People are still learning they can drive down here. It’s a positive thing.”
Image by: Brandon Darnell
Chuck Karajeh, 51-year-old owner of Midtown Market, 1026 K St.
“There’s been no change so far,” Karajeh said. “I don’t think it’s going to change anything. To me, well, I’ve been here a long time. I don’t think people are going to stop, and there’s no parking. If they had street parking, it would help.”
Image by: Brandon Darnell
Chris Dooley, 32-year-old bar manager at Ella Dining Room & Bar, 1131 K St.
“We’re still doing the same, but we have always had a street with cars on it, since we’re on the corner (of 12th and K streets),” Dooley said. “For some, I’m sure bringing cars back has increased business. It definitely makes the street more approachable to pedestrians and families, so it’s more accessible now.”
Image by: Brandon Darnell
Jesse Lua, 29-year-old manager of Blimpie Subs & Salads, 1023 K St.
“There’s been no change,” Lua said. “It really hasn’t gotten any traffic at all. I don’t think it’ll do anything without parking. The only traffic I’ve seen is maybe some cabs, but there hasn’t been an accident yet.”
Image by: Brandon Darnell
Sid Garcia-Heberger, 46-year-old general manager of the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
“I’m seeing increased activity on the street,” Garcia-Heberger said. “Most of the increased activity is on the weekends and at night. I think people are still getting used to it. Once more people know about it, I think it will really help.”
What is your perception of the changes to K Street over the past month, since cars were allowed. Have you driven down the former pedestrian mall? Let us know in the conversation below.
Flag Article As:
Conversation Express your views,
debate, and be heard with those in your area closest
to the issue.
Leave a Comment
Bingo. New Urbanist Trolley Man doesn't work out for real commerce. Perhaps they can turn the unused "Square" at what used to be K and 11th Street into herringbone metered parking spaces? Or one of the unused sites along K into a multi-story parking garage?
The only soluton that suburbanites/suburban minded Sacramentans seem to ever come up with- is that we need more, more, and more parking. Curmudgeon you never disappoint me. If you think Sacramento has actually been rebuilt around New Urbanism and has an inter-urban transportation system (light-rail is a suburban commuter system) then you really are clueless.
There was no intention of "I told you so" in this article. It's just an update to let people know what those who are there on a daily basis are seeing. We all know these things take a while to have any effect, as some of those interviewed pointed out.
I stood at the light rail stop in front of the Crest for 10 minutes before I saw a car on the street for the photo. The natural question most who don't travel K Street every day would have is, "Are there cars on it now, and is there any change?" That's what this was about.
And the truth is that in order to bring money downtown, you must make it not a hassle for outsiders with a modicum of money to come there, since there aren't enough people living downtown who aren't on skid row. That and police protection for them when they get there, of course.
Building lots of "SRO's" (a.k.a. flophouses), as some have suggested, will help to house the skid row population, but won't bring any meaningful commerce in. And any SRO that is to be a better standard of living than a flophouse will need a parking garage with it.
So you say that "light-rail is a suburban commuter system"? Yah, because an even shorter "intra-urban" (not inter-urban, because that goes out to the dreaded suburbs, you know) rail system that didn't go out far enough would be even more effective at bringing people in, right? Really?
And of course, the claim that if Sacramento had "actually been rebuilt around New Urbanism" all would be well??? Because we just haven't thrown enough good money after bad. If we all just try really hard at what doesn't work....
As for re-connecting K Street, isn't that what bringing road access back is all about?
Reconnecting K Street to the existing city fabric means a lot more than just automobile access, although for many, I realize it's difficult to conceive of any form of transportation not involving a car. Look at Los Angeles: in a decade they have tripled their downtown population, primarily by encouraging the conversion of mostly-vacant office buildings to housing, without requiring additional parking. Rebuilding their once-superb transit network has also helped reconnect Angelenos to their downtown without requiring acres of parking lots--and we can use the same model to repair downtown Sacramento.