The Longmont Downtown Development Authority is seeking community feedback for outdoor space along Main Street.
Over the summer, businesses were starting to feel larger impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and limits on using indoor space forced them to look outdoors.
Downtown Longmont has little space for businesses to move outside. Longmont City Council in July approved shutting down a lane of Main Street in either direction between Third and Sixth avenues, saying it could help revive downtown businesses choked by COVID-19 closures and restrictions.
Concrete barriers were placed along the Main Street to allow space for patrons of downtown businesses to shop and dine outside. Later, the line of concrete was decorated with signature murals. The project was made possible by a $100,000 grant from Colorado Creative Industries and matched by LDDA.
Coordination with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the city saw the lane closures last until the end of October, expanded from the original end date in September.
Longmonters through March 18 have an opportunity to provide feedback on again expanding outdoor space for businesses downtown.
“With continued capacity limitations placed on restaurants and businesses and open-air environments being recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial for downtown small businesses to be able to utilize as much outdoor space as possible to conduct business safely and in compliance with public health orders,” the LDDA stated in a news release.
The survey can be completed online and contains four questions that ask about last year’s use of outdoor space, lane closures and offer an alternative idea to last year’s model.
