Bloomington city council's Sustainable Development Committee unanimously voted in favor of closing parts of Kirkwood Avenue for more restaurant and retail space at its meeting Wednesday night.
READ MORE: Proposal Would Temporarily Close Kirkwood Ave. To Allow Outdoor Dining
Ordinance 20-11 will temporarily close parts of Kirkwood to allow for downtown shops and restaurants to spread out and increase capacity by using the street's surface area for outdoor seating.
"As a city we're tying to eliminate some of the potential friction as we begin the reopening process," Economic and Sustainable Developement Director Alex Crowley says.
The ordinance also temporarily waives sign fees that businesses would have to purchase to post health and safety guidelines for COVID-19.
The city says the most important part of this is making sure patrons and employees stay safe.
“If we start to see a rise in COVID cases as a result of what we’re doing, I would err on the side of being a little more cautious until we get a little bit more experience under our belts with what this might do to the actual health crisis in our community," council member Susan Sandberg says.
This is why a trial run of the closure will take place over the weekend of June 19 starting at 5 p.m. on Friday and and last until late Sunday evening.
Crowley says the trial run will help the city determine if this is a safe practice.
If passed, the Kirkwood closure would extend from Grant Street to Indiana Avenue.
The ordinance will go to city council next Wednesday for final approval. If it's approved, the temporary closure will run through September 30.
