Despite the fact that the closing off of downtown Culver City to traffic was always intended to be temporary during the pandemic, a successful attempt to help restaurants stay open by providing space for outdoor dining, members of the public made it known that they would prefer it to stay that way.
“Letting cars in again would be a historic mistake,” said public speaker Bubba Fish. Others said that it has been great for the city, with children playing in the street safely.
Item C4, which eventually passed unanimously, raised the necessity to move the Culver City — Downtown Corridor project.
Councilman Göran Eriksson said that, in his mind, the closing off of the streets to traffic was always intended to be temporary and won’t work in the long term due to the offices currently and planned in the area. He did say that come compromise could be possible.
Vice Mayor Daniel Lee pointed out that he wasn’t alone in seeing the temporary pedestrianization as a “pilot scheme,” essentially wanting to keep an open mind.
The situation changes quickly during the pandemic so we’ll have to wait and see.