The pedestrian zone near the river on King Street will expand, following city council's approval of a pilot program.
The change was proposed by Mayor Justin Wilson and Councilmember John Taylor Chapman.
The car-free pedestrian zone already existed along the unit block (outside the Torpedo Factory, Mai Thai and Vola's) and 100 block of King Street, which extends west up to Lee Street. Now, the pedestrian zone will include the 200 block of King Street, which goes up the hill toward City Hall between Fairfax and Lee streets.
Wilson and Chapman said that before proposing the change, they met with some business owners who were on the affected block. Like with the 100 block, they heard some support and some concerns, primarily about parking and deliveries.
The unit block and 100 block that are currently pedestrian zones became so between 2020 and 2022 in phases.
The pilot program to test closing the 200 block of King Street will start this winter, and city councilmembers will be asking for feedback from business owners and the community.
