A walkable, car-free West Pearl Street could be returning to downtown Boulder if a group of residents have their way. The Pearl for You campaign, launched last week, is petitioning to place a measure on the 2025 ballot that would close two blocks of West Pearl Street to private traffic, an attempt to return to a pedestrian-focused, outdoor dining area created during the pandemic.
Pearl Street was previously closed from 9th to 11th during the spring of 2020 through the fall of 2022. Despite support from the city’s Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) and residents — in a 2023 city questionnaire, 86% of respondents supported making the two-block closure permanent — the area was reopened to traffic.
Pearl for You is looking to reopen the debate. Re-closing West Pearl to traffic will create a “community space” that will support “public use, outdoor dining, and street activations including art installations, green spaces, and community activities” according to the campaign’s website.
“In 2022, the public response was overwhelmingly supportive of new community spaces downtown,” Alex Weinheimer, Pearl for You’s treasurer and a former TAB member, told Boulder Weekly. “Between TAB and City Council, there were hundreds of letters and comments in favor of keeping West Pearl open for people.
“The lack of progress toward improving Downtown spaces necessitated a ballot initiative in 2025.”
In its decision to reopen the street to cars, officials cited concern from business owners worried about the impacts of eliminating drive-up parking and street access. The proposal would close the streets to all private traffic, with the exception of emergency vehicles and for commercial use by the businesses.
The petition will need 3,401 supporters by May 28 to be placed on the November ballot.