A committee backed by dozens of downtown Boulder businesses has launched a formal campaign to oppose a ballot measure that would close a two-block stretch of West Pearl Street to most vehicles.
The group, Keep West Pearl Open, reflects growing tensions over the future of one of the city鈥檚 busiest commercial corridors. Supporters of the measure want to transform the street into a pedestrian-focused public space. But business owners say the closure could deter customers and saddle the city with costly infrastructure changes at a time of economic uncertainty.
The would bar most private vehicles from Pearl Street between 9th and 11th Streets. Commercial and emergency vehicles would still be permitted. The measure does not specify whether the HOP bus could continue running on the stretch.
Proponents say they want to bring back the open-street atmosphere that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the city closed the area to cars and allowed restaurants to expand outdoor dining into the road. The closure, enacted in May 2020, was lifted in 2022, with city officials citing concerns from struggling businesses and a desire to restore the HOP bus route.
A city survey conducted after the pandemic-era closure found that most respondents believed it improved the 鈥渙verall appeal鈥� of West Pearl. But business owners have said the closure hurt their bottom line, especially during the colder months when outdoor dining declined. Several said that removing parking in front of their restaurants drove customers elsewhere.
More than 100 representatives of Boulder businesses have signed onto the Keep West Pearl Open campaign, according to the group鈥檚 website. Among them are Cedar & Hyde, Jungle, Pasta Jay鈥檚, Hapa Sushi, Wonder Press, Salt, University Bicycles, Zoe Ma Ma and My Neighbor Felix. A majority of Boulder City Councilmembers also support the opposition campaign, including Taishya Adams, Matt Benjamin, Tina Marquis, Nicole Speer, Mark Wallach and Tara Winer.
鈥淭his is going to create a problem rather than solve one,鈥� Peter Waters, owner of the Mexican restaurant T/Aco and co-chair of the opposition campaign, told Boulder Reporting Lab. 鈥淚t will divide the community to some degree at a time when we need nothing more than to come together.鈥�
Also co-chairing the campaign is former City Councilmember Rachel Friend, development director for Community Cycles, who supported keeping the street closed in 2022 while on council. She says the new proposal would divert limited city resources away from higher-priority pedestrian and cycling safety projects.
鈥淥n a straight equity basis, you would not pick the two [West Pearl blocks] that are adjacent to where you already have four blocks closed and ideal access to the creek path,鈥� as priorities for closing, Friend told Boulder Reporting Lab. 鈥淭here are some pedestrian deserts in this town.鈥�
The proposed ballot measure text calls for supporting 鈥減ublic use, outdoor dining, and street activities including art installations, green spaces, and community activities.鈥� But the measure does not include a specific design.
City officials estimate the closure would cost the city roughly $325,000 per year in lost on-street parking revenue. The city has not estimated the financial impact of the proposed measure. But any investment in the street would come as Boulder faces slowing sales tax growth and due to changing policies under the Trump administration.
Kurt Nordback, a city Planning Board member who is chairing the pro-closure ballot measure campaign, Pearl For You, said people would still pay to park nearby and that improvements to the street could be made incrementally.
Nordback said no businesses have publicly endorsed the measure, but some have privately said they could manage with the street closed. He acknowledged the economic uncertainty under the Trump administration. But he said that the street closure could enable more people to organize protests and connect.
鈥淲e also need gathering space for people to come together at this very troubling time,鈥� Nordback told Boulder Reporting Lab.
Efforts to broker a compromise between the petitioners and opponents of the measure, including the Downtown Boulder Partnership, have stalled. Nordback said the petitioners want the street changed to allow for more people to sit outside and accommodate more healthy trees. But the opponents of the measure say they won鈥檛 support proposals that require major city investments.
To qualify for the 2025 ballot, organizers must collect 3,401 signatures from registered Boulder voters by May 28.
John Herrick is a reporter for The Boulder Reporting Lab. His work frequently appears on-air at KUNC 91.5 FM and online at KUNC.org. Contact John at john@boulderreportinglab.org.