| sjchamber.com | |
November 1, 2024
City of San Jose City Council
200 E. Santa Clara St.
San José, CA 95113
Dear Mayor Mahan and Honorable Councilmembers,
On behalf of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, I am pleased to submit this letter in support of the proposed Post St. Pedestrian Mall.
The Pedestrian Mall Law of 1960 was created to transform spaces for vehicular traffic into pedestrian-focused spaces that support businesses, open spaces, and community needs.
Pedestrian malls have numerous benefits for those in the community:
• Local Economy: Creating a permanent pedestrian mall on Post Street would stimulate the local economy as it would bring more people to the area. Additional foot traffic has the positive effect of increasing retail and restaurant sales. • Public Spaces: Pedestrian malls activate public spaces to create gathering places. The City of San Jose created the Al Fresco Dining Program in 2020 that kicked off the movement to make Post Street into a permanent pedestrian mall. Since then, the businesses along Post Street have held numerous community events with the additional public space created. Supporting the creation of a permanent pedestrian mall would see an increase in community events that support the local economy and public life. • Revitalization Efforts: The City of San Jose has spent thousands of dollars and man hours in the last decade supporting and revitalizing its downtown core. This project would bolster those efforts.
The San Jose Chamber of Commerce was a strong supporter of the Al Fresco program in 2020.
We are now excited to support a permanent change to Post Street that will strengthen the businesses and community spaces there for years to come.
Sincerely,
Leah Toeniskoetter
President & CEO, San Jose Chamber of Commerce