N. Phelps Street Streetscape Improvement Project Begins:
Source:
Vindy
The section of Phelps Street between Federal and Commerce has been discussed as a possible located for a pedestrian-only plaza. Beginning Monday, this stretch of road will be closed for at least 6 months for a $943,000 project to allow AT&T to reroute phone lines and to allow for sewer line work.
A rendering of the proposed improvement project. Notice the hanging lights and archways:
The current plan calls for adding new sidewalks, streetlights, and other street-scape improvements - but it is possible that work will be done to finally make it into a pedestrian plaza. City leaders have been playing around with the idea for a while now - the idea is to make a mini version of Cleveland's
East 4th Street pedestrian street. Some are hesitant to shut down traffic to the street - West Federal Street was once an unsuccessful pedestrian plaza that only began to succeed after it was reopened to traffic in the early 2000s. I think this portion of Phelps Street is perfect for a pedestrian only street. It is a fairly small segment of road, it is narrow, has nice underutilized storefronts, and most of all, will be the main road linking the YSU campus to the new riverfront park being built. The pedestrian only space would be used for events, markets, and of course, seating for restaurants.
A rendering of what N. Phelps Street will look like from the ground (Looking towards Commerce St.):
It will be a shame in my opinion if they do not go with the pedestrian-only option, but even if they don't I'm optimistic that the improvement project will help business and give more character to Phelps Street. The popular Suzie's Dogs and Drafts and V2 Wine Bar are already very successful, and another restaurant, The Cove, will be opening soon on this part of Phelps St.
EDIT: I happened to stumble upon a huge detailed master plan for the amphitheater project - expect a big post about it tonight or tomorrow with lots of renderings/details!